gp 

**-t 


t~m*    .      **-s  ^•-> 

SUMMARY ~ 


OF 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CHINESE  TREATISES 


UPON  THE  ' 


CULTURE  OF  THE  MULBERRY 


AND    THE 


REARING  OF  SILK  WORMS. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  CHINESE. 


WASHINGTON: 

PUBLISHED    BY    PETER    FORCE. 

1838. 


, 


KNTERED  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OF  CONGRESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  MDCCCXXXVIII,  BY  P.  FORCE, 
IN  THE  CLERK'S  OFFICE  OF  THE  DISTRICT  COURT  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


PETER  FORCE,  PRINTER, 
TENTH  STREET. 


NOTE  BY  THE  PUBLISHER. 


This  "  SUMMARY"  was,  first  translated  from  the  Chinese,  by  Stanislas 
Julien,  member  of  the  French  Institute,  and  Professor  of  Chinese  Litera- 
ture, in  the  College  of  France,  and  printed  at  the  Royal  Press,  in  Paris, 
by  order  of  the  Minister  of  Public  Works,  Agriculture,  and  Commerce. 
The  French  copy  from  which  this  Translation  was  made,  was  transmitted 
from  Paris,  to  the  SECRETARY  or  STATE,  and  by  his  recommendation 
has  been  translated  and  published  here. 

WASHINGTON,  February,  1838. 


M182175 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Preface  to  the  American  Edition 5 

Preface  to  the  French  Edition 11 

Introduction  to  the  French  Edition 13 

Advertisement  of  the  French  Translator 17 

Note  upon  the  Temperature  of  China 23 

CULTIVATION  OF  MULBERRY  TREES 27 

General  remarks 27 

Different  species  of  the  mulberry 28 

Manner  of  obtaining  the  best  seed  in  order  to  reproduce  the  mulberry 31 

Observations  relative  to  the  choice  of  mulberry  plants 33 

On  sowing  the  seed  of  the  mulberry 33 

Method  of  transplanting  dwarf  mulberry  trees 38 

The  favorable  season  for  planting 41 

Manner  of  raising  mulberry  trees 42 

Of  planting  branches 44 

Of  pruning  large  mulberry  trees 46 

Method  for  sowing  the  seed  of  the  mulberry 49 

For  planting  dwarf  mulberry  trees 51 

For  planting  mulberry  trees  in  Autumn 54 

For  obtaining  layers 56 

For  transplanting  mulberry  trees  that  are  obtained  from  layers....  56 

Planting  mulberry  branches  upon  beds  of  earth 58 

SUPPLEMENT  to  the  cultivation  of  mulberry  trees 67 

Grafting  of  mulberry  trees 67 

Cleft  grafting 69 

Budding  or  inoculation 71 

Manner  of  grafting  small  stocks »..  72 

THE  RAISING  OF  SILK  WORMS 77 

Preliminary  observations..... ; 77 

Testimony  from  Chinese  authors 77 

A  ~? 


2  CONTENTS. 

Pages 

Construction  of  the  silk  worms'  apartments 85 

Construction  of  the  oven 89 

ON  BATHING  the  eggs  of  silk  worms 95 

Different  kinds  of  silk  worms 96 

Same  subject 98 

Preparation  of  the  eggs  to  obtain  a  simultaneous  hatching 99 

Diseases  the  silk  worms  contract  while  they  are  in  the  egg 101 

Hatching  of  the  silk  worms ; 105 

Means  of  hastening  or  retarding  the  hatching 106 

Choice  of  cocoons  to  obtain  good  eggs 306 

FOOD  for  the  silk  worms 113 

Feeding  of  the  silk  worms  of  four  moultings 113 

Of  the  autumnal  worms 115 

Preparation  of  the  powder  of  leaves... 115 

The  flour  of  small  green  peas  that  is  spread  on  the  leaves  after  the  third 

moulting 116 

Manner  of  feeding  the  hatching  silk  worms 116 

Advantages  of  the  raising  in  twenty-five  days 116 

Method  for  curing  the  silk  worms  of  the  heating  they  experience  after  the 

last  moulting 118 

Necessity  of  cutting  the  leaves  in  thin  shreds  for  the  young  silk  worms, 

and  of  spreading  it  upon  them  with  a  sieve 120 

Method  for  diminishing  the  food,  and  hastening  the  moulting 120 

Injurious  things  to  the  silk  worms 121 

Manner  of  feeding  the  silk  worms  according  to  their  different  ages 123 

The  heat  that  is  good  for  them,  hi  the  interval  from  one  moulting  to  ano- 
ther   124 

The  powder  of  mulberry  leaves  that  is  spread  on  the  new  leaves  lightly 

moistened 125 

Method  for  hastening  the  changes  of  color  in  the  slow  worms,  and  dispos- 
ing them  to  moult  at  the  same  time  with  those  that  are  more  advanced...  125 
Another  manner  of  feeding  the  silk  worms  according  to  their  different  ages, 
and  according  to  the  changes  of  color  they  experience  in  the  interval  of 

each  moulting 126 

Quality  of  leaves  that  are  good  for  the  silk  worms , 127 

Necessity  of  varying  the  temperature  of  the  silk  room  according  to  the 

different  ages  of  the  silk  worms 128 

Of  raising  the  temperature  when  the  silk  worms  have  ascended  the  leaves 
and  are  disposed  to  eat 129 

DISTRIBUTION  of  the  silk  worms  on  the  hurdle,  and  the  sp?xe  to  be  allowed 

them...  .   130 


CONTENTS.  3 

Pages 

TRANSPORTATION  of  the  silk  worms 130 

Cause  of  the  disease,  called  in  Europe  muscardine 131 

Proceedings  to  separate  the  silk  worms  from  the  dirt  and  litter,  and  to  pre- 
serve them  from  the  diseases  that  cause  their  fermentation 132 

REMOVAL  of  the  silk  worms  after  their  first  moulting 134 

After  their  second  moulting 134 

After  their  third  moulting 134 

ENTRANCE  of  the  silk  worms  in  the  cocoon  room 137 

Construction  of  the  frames 137 

How  to  warm  them 137 

Another  method 138 

Diseases  of  the  silk  worm  in  the  cocoon  room 140 

ROUND  COCOON  ROOMS  used  in  the  south  of  China 141 

Production  of  silk  much  more  considerable  in  the  north  than  in  the  south 
of  China,  see  page  147  line  8 143 

OBLONG  COCOON  ROOMS  used  in  the  north  of  China 146 

Advantages  and  inconveniences  of  the  round  and  oblong  cocoon  rooms...   147 
Cocoon  room  recommended  by  the  author 147 

CHOICE  OF  THE  COCOONS 149 

How  to  preserve  the  cocoons 149 

How  to  select  those  for  re-production 150 

Manner  of  killing  the  chrysalides 152 

Different  methods  of  killing  the  chrysalides 153 

Earthen  jars  used  for  keeping  the  cocoons 154 

SUPPLEMENT  to  the  Chinese  treatise  on  the  raising  of  silk  worms 157 

Eggs  of  silk  worms 157 

Bathing  the  eggs  of  silk  worms 158 

Precaution  for  preserving  the  eggs 159 

Different  kinds  of  silk  worms 159 

On  bleaching  yellow  cocoons 160 

Feeding  of  the  silk  worms 161 

Things  the  silk  worms  fear 163 

Mulberry  leaves 163 

Manner  of  cutting  the  branches 165 

Of  leaves  that  are  injurious  to  silk  worms 165 

Diseases  of  the  silk  worms 166 

Means  of  knowing  the  silk  worms  that  are  mature  enough  to  spin 167 

Formation  of  the  cocoon  rooms,  called  Chan-po 168 


4  CONTENTS. 

Page* 

Harvest  of  the  cocoons 170 

Means  of  giving  strength  to  the  silk 170 

-:„.;;     r^?;-' 

MEMOIR  on  wild  silk  worms,  by  P.  D'Incarville 175 

Notice  on  the  ash  tree  of  China,  called  Hiang-tchun 193 

Description  of  plates 197 


PREFACE 


TO 


THE  AMERICAN  EDITION 


THE  attention  of  the  American  People  having  been  attracted  for  several 
years  to  the  culture  of  silk,  with  all  its  attendant  advantages,  both  to  indi- 
viduals and  as  a  source  of  national  wealth,  the  following  compilation, 
from  Chinese  authors,  made  by  authority  of  the  French  Government,  it  is 
hoped  will  prove  interesting,  and  not  entirely  unprofitable,  to  the  yet 
incipient  serigene  art  in  the  United  States.  Notwithstanding  the  supe- 
riority of  the  French  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  length  of  time  which 
has  elapsed  since  the  introduction  of  the  manufacture  of  silk  into  France, 
(in  the  reign  of  Francis  I,)  the  fact,  of  the  great  superiority  of  the  Chi- 
nese culture  is  frankly  admitted  by  M.  CAMILLE  BEAUVAIS,  the  gentleman 
at  whose  instance  the  French  Minister  directed  this  Translation  to  be 
made  from  the  Chinese  works.  Such  is  the  strength  of  his  testimony  on 
one  point,  that  he  asserts,  "  the  Chinese  lose  in  the  rearing  scarcely  one 
per  cent,  of  their  worms,  whereas  the  French  lose  more  than  fifty"  !  So 
important  is  silk  to  the  civilized  nations  of  the  globe,  so  many  and  various 
are  the  fabrics  wrought  from  this  beautiful  material,  so  familiarly  known, 
and  of  such  universal  consumption,  that  the  manner  of  its  production 
cannot  fail  to  be  a  subject  of  earnest  inquiry  and  of  interesting  investiga- 
tion to  our  enterprising  citizens.  It  is  well  calculated  to  excite  surprise 
and  astonishment,  that  the  gorgeous  velvet,  the  rich  brocade,  the  transpa- 
rent gauze,  and  the  delicate  blonde,  should  all  have  their  origin  from  the 
labors  of  an  apparently  despicable  worm.  The  egg  of  this  insect  exceeds 
not  the  size  of  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  yet  so  amazing  are  the  results 


6  PREFACE  TO  THE 

produced,  that  the  proceeds  of  its  industry  actually  constitute  the  chief 
source  of  wealth  of  the  most  populous  and  perhaps  the  richest  na- 
tion of  the  globe.  In  the  language  of  a  French  writer,  "  if  the  co- 
coons (in  China,)  were  collected  together,  they  would  form  mountains." 
"  The  two  provinces,  of  Nankin  and  Chekiang,  alone  send  every  year  to 
the  Court  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  barks  laden  not  only  with  pieces  of 
wrought  silk,  satins,  and  velvets  of  various  kinds  and  colors ;  but  even 
with  rich  and  costly  garments  of  the  same  material."  For  the  long 
period  of  four  thousand  four  hundred  and  thirty-eight  years,  the  Govern- 
ment of  China  has  extended  its  paternal  care  to  the  culture  of  silk  :  the 
Empress  herself  setting  an  example  to  the  peasant  in  the  requisite  labor. 
Hence  their  proficiency,  and  the  universality  of  the  culture  in  the  Chinese 
Empire. 

An  important  fact  is  gathered  from  the  following  Treatise :  the  culture 
of  silk  is,  with  few  exceptions,  co-extensive  with  the  growth  of  the  mul- 
berry, and  that  tree  grows  in  every  province  of  China,  from  the  extreme 
North  to  its  Southern  boundary ;  and,  perhaps,  no  tree  is  susceptible  of 
being  more  widely  diffused.  In  Europe,  not  unsuccessful  experiments  have 
been  made  near  Stockholm  in  Sweden,  Novogorod  in  Russia,  and  Bran- 
denburgh  in  Prussia.  It  is  true,  all  attempts  to  domesticate  the  silk  worm 
in  England  and  Ireland  have  proved  abortive ;  but  that  is  no  doubt  owing 
to  the  extreme  humidity  of  the  climate.  The  Chinese  work  Nong-sang- 
thong-kioue,  says:  "  they  [the  silk  worms,]  like  not  wet  leaves,"  and  else- 
where, "that  moisture  is  exceedingly  injurious  to  them;"  which  is  verified 
by  the  experience  of  England.  For  the  same  reason  the  culture  of  silk 
in  France,  is  limited  to  the  Southern  Departments,  the  Western  being,  like 
England,  too  humid.  It  may  be  objected  that  the  climate  of  the  United 
States  is  colder  than  that  of  Europe  in  equal  parallels  of  latitude,  and,  con- 
sequently, too  cold  for  the  culture  of  silk  in  the  same  degree;  such  is, 
undoubtedly,  the  fact  as  regards  extremes  of  temperature ;  but  Ave  feel 
assured,  that  from  th^  superior  dryness  and  heat  of  the  summers  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  perfect  ease  with  which  the  mulberry  is  grown  and 
propagateoVjthat  a  great  proportion  of  this  country  is  better  adapted  to  the 
culture  of"  silk  'than  even  the  Softlh  of  Europe.  From  experiments  made 
by  the  scientific  and  practical  cultivator,  Count  Dandolo,  in  Italy,  it  is 
satisfactorily  ascertained  that  increase  of  temperature  promotes  the  maturity 
of  the  silk  worms ;  in  other  words,  shortens  their  life  and  labor,  without 
lessening  the  quantity  of  silk. 


AMERICAN  EDITION.  7 

It  has  been  ascertained,  by  laying  before  silk  worms  at  the  same  time 
various  kinds  of  mulberry  leaves,  they  will  eat  first  the  white,  next  the 
red,  and  lastly  the  black,  in  the  order  of  the  tenderness  of  the  leaves. 
The  tartarian  holds  a  high  place  in  their  esteem.  The  red  mulberry, 
morus  rubra,  the  second  in  the  order  of  preference,  is  indigenous  to  the 
Middle  and  Southern  States,  and  is  remarked  by  botanists,  as  growing 
from  Virginia  to  Louisiana.  Abundant  experiments  have  demonstrated 
that  the  white  mulberry  may  be  successfully  cultivated  still  farther  North 
in  the  United  States.  The  Chinese  assert  "  that  their  mulberries  grow  in 
all  soils,  and  with  every  aspect ;"  which,  from  the  extreme  industry  and 
sedulous  care  of  that  people,  is  not  to  be  doubted.  Early  efforts  were 
made  to  naturalize  the  silk  worms  in  the  American  Colonies  by  the  British 
Crown  and  chartered  companies,  in  Virginia  in  1662,  and  in  Georgia  and 
South- Carolina  in  1732.  They  failed,  after  some  partial  success.  The 
failure  has  been  ascribed  to  various  causes,  such  as  the  more  profitable 
culture  of  cotton  and  tobacco,  the  sparseness  of  population,  the  distant 
market ;  but  in  no  instance  that  we  have  seen,  has  it  been  charged  to 
climate,  ill  success  of  the  mulberry,  or  atmospherical  influences,  which 
oppose  so  fatally  the  extension  of  the  culture  in  Western  Europe.  From 
a  careful  review  of  those  early  experiments,  we  are  satisfied  that  the  mea- 
gerness  of  the  population,  and  the  distant  market  for  their  raw  material, 
were  the  effective  checks  to  the  prosecution  of  the  silk  culture  in  Virginia, 
South-Carolina,  and  Georgia.  The  aspect  of  things  is  materially  chang- 
ed within  the  last  century ;  the  wilderness  is  now  a  populous  country — 
the  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  inhabitants  are  many  millions — the  raw, 
thrown,  or  manufactured  silk  would  now  find  a  ready  purchaser  or  con- 
sumer without  crossing  the  Atlantic — and  speedy  remuneration  be  the  con- 
sequence to  the  grower. 

At  the  hazard  of  prolonging  these  prefatory  remarks  to  an  inordinate 
length,  we  think  it  not  irrelevant  here  to  give,  in  the  briefest  form  possi- 
ble, some  general  facts  upon  this  subject.  The  value  of  silk  imported 
into  the  United  States  in  1836  was  $22,862,177.  The  annual  value  of 
silk  manufactured  in  England  is  £14,000,000,  or  about  $62,000,000. — 
Four  million  pounds  of  raw  and  thrown  silks  are  annually  imported,  at 
about  £1  5s  per  pound.  France  exported  in  1824  manufactured  silks  to 
the  value  of  100,000,000  francs,  or  about  $19,000,000.  Raw  silk  is  sold 
in  France  at  twenty-two  francs  per  pound,  or  about  four  dollars  eighteen 
cents.  One  pound  of  raw  or  reeled  silk  may  be  manufactured  into  six- 


8  PREFACE  TO  THE 

teen  yards  of  gros-de- Naples,  the  nett  cost  of  which  will  be  £2  3$  7d 
sterling.  From  one  ounce  of  eggs  it  is  possible  to  obtain  one  hundred 
and  sixty- five  pounds  weight  of  cocoons:  in  Italy,  one  hundred  pounds  is 
the  average  quantity.  Each  healthy  cocoon,  as  it  is  gathered,  contains 
more  than  the  seventh  part  of  pure  cocoon ;  but  the  quantity  of  reeled 
silk  obtained  seldom  averages  more  than  one  twelfth  of  the  weight. — 
Two  hundred  and  forty,  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  cocoons  weigh  one 
pound.  The  proportion  of  mulberry  leaves  consumed  to  the  pure  cocoon 
produced,  is  eighty-seven  pounds  to  one;  and  the  proportional  weight  of 
mulberry  leaf  and  of  reeled  silk  is  as  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  to  one. 
The  length  of  thread  of  a  single  cocoon  is  stated  by  different  authors  to 
be  from  three  hundred  yards  to  six  hundred  and  twenty- five.  The  weight 
three  and  a  quarter  English  grains.  According  to  these  data,  which  are 
given  more  in  detail  in  Lardner's  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia,  it  is  found  one 
pound  of  reeled  silk  requires  twelve  pounds  of  cocoons;  that  rather  more 
than  twenty-eight  hundred  worms  are  employed  in  forming  these  cocoons, 
and  that  to  feed  them  one  hundred  and  fifty  two  pounds  of  mulberry  leaves 
must  be  gathered.  This  pound  of  reeled  silk  will  make  sixteen  yards  of 
gros-de- Naples,  ordinary  quality,  or  fourteen  yards  of  the  best  descrip- 
tion. 

In  the  history  of  this  branch  of  industry  the  fact  is  developed,  that  in 
every  country,  where  it  has  been  introduced,  from  the  Celestial  Empire  to 
Western  Europe,  the  fostering  care  of  Governments  has  been  extended 
and  needed  for  the  attainment  of  success.  The  art  itself,  in  its  infancy, 
like  the  feeble  insect  whence  it  is  derived  and  supported,  appears  inca- 
pable of  more  than  a  sickly  and  unprofitable  existence,  without  the  aid  of 
superior  intelligence,  and  superior  care.  The  chronicles  of  a  long  line 
of  Chinese  Emperors  show  their  paternal  solicitude,  in  their  decrees, 
wherein  the  Empress  is  enjoined  to  set  an  example  in  her  own  person  to 
the  empire,  by  attending  to  the  rearing  of  silk  worms.  Under  the  auspi- 
ces of  Justinian,  and  his  peculiar  care,  the  culture  of  silk  was  introduced 
into  the  Roman  Empire.  It  was  at  first  a  Royal  monopoly ;  but  did  not 
long  remain  so;  soon  spreading  to  Greece,  and  particularly  in  the  Pelo- 
ponessus.  Roger  I,  King  of  Sicily,  after  his  successes  in  Greece, 
transported  a  considerable  number  of  captive  silk- weavers  from  that  coun- 
try, whom  he  compulsorily  settled  in  Palermo,  and  obliged  them  to  impart 
to  his  subjects  a  knowledge  of  their  art.  In  such  high  esteem  was  the 
manufacture  of  silk  in  Venice,  that  the  business  was  considered  a  noble 


AMERICAN  EDITION.  9 

employment,  and  might  be  practised  without  degradation  by  the  aristo- 
cracy.     The  introduction  of  the  silk  worms  into  France  has  been  attri- 
buted to  Louis  the  XI,  and  to  Francis  I ;  certain  it  is,  however,  that  the 
people  of  France  made  rapid  progress  in  this  pursuit  under  the  fostering 
care  of  the  monarch,  and  timely  and  well  devisfd  bounties  for  the  planting 
and  culture  of  the  mulberry  tree.     Henry  IV,  in  his  letters-patent  for  the 
establishment  of  silk  manufactories  in  Paris,  conferred  titles  of  nobility  for 
success  and  perseverance.      Nurseries  of  the  mulberry  were  established, 
and  at  first  the  trees  were  given  away  by  the  Government,  unsuccessfully ; 
but  at  length  a  more  judicious  plan  was  adopted.    A  reward  of  three  livres 
was  offered  to  the  cultivator,  for  every  tree  that  should  be  found  in  a  thriv- 
ing condition  three  years  after  it  had  been  planted.     Thus  stimulated,  the 
cultivation  was  eminently  successful.       The  results  are  shown   in  the 
modern  statistics  of  France,  and  how  amply  the  outlay  of  three  livres  per 
tree  has  been  repaid  by  the  revenue  accruing  to  the  crown  from  the  man- 
ufacture of  silk. 

The  experience  of  nations  will  not  be  lost  upon  the  United  States. 
Her  statesmen,  her  legislators,  and  her  people  are  awake  to  the  subject. 
We  have  only  to  will  it,  to  naturalize  the  culture  and  manufacture  of 
silk,  and  the  time  is  believed  to  be  not  distant,  when  this  important  branch 
of  industry  will  be  added  to  the  resources  of  our  national  prosperity.  The 
present  work  has  been  translated  and  published  as  our  humble  mite  to 
the  accomplishment  of  this  great  work. 

WASHINGTON.   February,  1838. 


PREFACE 

TO  THE  FRENCH  EDITION. 


THE  Minister  of  Public  Works,  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce, 
has  invited  M.  CAMILLE  BEAUVAIS  to  write  the  Introduction  which 
precedes  the  Translation  of  M.  STANISLAS  JULIEN.  No  one  was 
more  capable  of  appreciating  the  merit  of  the  methods  adopted  in 
China,  for  the  cultivation  of  Mulberry  Trees,  and  the  rearing  of  Silk 
Worms.  Indeed,  M.  Camille  Beauvais  has  already  put  several  of 
these  methods  into  practice,  and  it  is  to  the  employing  them  that  he 
is  indebted  for  the  improvement  introduced  by  him  in  this  useful 
work. 

In  the  publication  of  this  Translation,  with  the  concurrence  of  M. 
Camille  Beauvais,  the  Minister  of  Public  Works,  of  Agriculture  and 
Commerce,  has  wished  to  show  him  the  value  which  he  attaches  to 
his  important  labors,  and  to  prove,  at  the  same  time,  to  those  who 
raise  Silk  Worms,  that  the  methods  adopted,  with  so  much  success, 
by  this  learned  agriculturist,  are  worthy  of  attracting  their  atten- 
tion. 


V./  A    .1  V.1  4 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  translation  of  a  Chinese  Work,  which  treats  of  a  great  branch 
of  industry  established  for  a  long  time  on  our  soil,  is  an  enterprise 
which  will  be  variously  appreciated.  Whatever  may  be  the  opinion 
of  those  who  raise  the  silk  worms,  and  of  the  learned  persons  who 
will  read  this  publication,  I  hope  it  will  always  remain  as  a  testimony 
of  the  superiority  of  the  Chinese  in  all  the  practical  details  embra- 
ced in  the  culture  of  silk,  and  the  surprising  results  which  they  have 
obtained. 

Some  minds,  influenced  by  ancient  traditions,  will  perhaps  consider 
this  multitude  of  trifling  attentions,  which  the  Chinese  lavish  upon 
the  silk  worms,  as  childish ;  others  will  only  see  some  proceedings 
little  different  from  theirs  in  appearance,  or  will  say,  that  they  may 
be  proper  to  the  climate  of  China,  and  not  be  applicable  in  ours  ; 
and,  perhaps,  some  persons  will  forget  the  work,  after  having  read  it. 
But  time  and  experience  will,  I  hope,  cause  these  natural  methods, 
these  delicate  attentions,  these  wise  and  multiplied  precautions  the 
Chinese  Authors  recommend,  to  be  appreciated  at  their  just  value. 

It  is  easy  to  comprehend  that  an  observing  People,  who  invented 
before  Europe,  the  compass,  printing,  and  gunpowder,  and  who  for 
forty  centuries  regarded  the  culture  of  silk  as  its  principal  source  of 
wealth,  have  brought  it  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection,  and  we  can- 
not do  better  than  go  to  the  fountain  head  for  new  light  and  the 
latest  improvements. 

If  by  a  judicious  application  of  the  Chinese  methods,  we  can 
equal  their  success,  the  aspect  of  that  branch  of  industry  will  soon 
be  changed  in  France.  It  will  then  assume  a  more  stable  character ; 
the  uncertainty  now  dreaded,  will  make  room  for  a  sure  and  regular 
system,  which  will  relieve  the  raising  of  the  silk  worms  from  the 


1 4  INTRODUCTION. 

grievous  chances  to  which  imperfect  and  variable  methods  expose 
them  every  day.  But  to  attain  this  end,  and,  by  useful  changes,  to 
demonstrate  the  importance  of  this  work,  time  and  long  experience 
are  required.  We  ought  to  know,  thoroughly,  the  spirit  which  pre- 
sides in  all  the  Chinese  works,  if  we  wish  to  naturalize  them  among 
us,  and  to  employ  them  with  certainty,  and  with  success. 

We  hope  that  the  advanced  state  of  science  in  France,  will  some- 
times give  us  the  advantage  over  the  Chinese,  in  the  application  of 
their  methods.  I  will  quote  on  this  subject  an  interesting  fact,  which 
is  found  in  this  translation.  The  Chinese  convinced  that  the  purity 
and  frequent  renewing  of  the  air  are  indispensable  to  the  health  of 
the  silk  worms,  have  contrived  a  system  of  ventilation,  which,  though 
it  appears  incomplete  to  us  in  some  respects,  yet  presents  several 
traces  of  resemblance  to  that  which  we  owe  to  M.  Darcet. 

The  exterior  air  is  made  to  enter  by  tubes,  which  are  placed  at 
intervals,-  and  which  can  be  opened  even  with  the  floor.  When 
the  air  of  the  silk  room  becomes  foul,  it  escapes  by  small  windows 
made  in  the  ceiling.  These  same  tubes  also  serve  to  cool  and  re- 
fresh the  silk  rooms ;  they  are  to  be  shut  when  one  wishes  to  ele- 
vate the  temperature. 

Indeed,  this  system  is  far  from  equalling  that  of  M.  Darcet,* 
which  unites  simplicity  to  energy,  and  offers  the  double  advantage 
of  keeping  a  regular  temperature,  and  of  causing  the  air  to  circulate 
in  the  silk  room.  But,  however  imperfect  the  ventilation  practised 
by  the  Chinese  may  appear  to  us,  it  nevertheless  shows  how  that  in- 
dustrious nation  has  made  efforts  to  insure  the  constant  success  ol 
the  silk  culture. 

I  have  already  tried  two  Chinese  methods,  which  have  given  me 

*  In  establishing,  by  my  desire,  a  simple  and  economical  system  of  ventilation, 
which  now  bears  the  name  of  its  Author,  M.  Darcet  has  added  a  new  and  eminent 
service  to  all  those  for  which  the  arts  are  already  indebted  to  him.  The  patriotism 
and  disinterestedness  which  this  learned  man  has  shown  on  this  occasion,  cannot 
be  too  much  praised. 

The  Minister  of  Public  Works  has  had  a  certain  number  of  models  of  that  appa- 
ratus executed,  which  have  been  transmitted  to  the  Prefects,  to  be  deposited  in  the 
archives  of  those  Departments,  which  were  occupied  more  especially  with  the 
manufacture  of  silks.  (C.  B.) 


INTRODUCTION.  J  5 

the  most  happy  results:  the  frequent  feeding  of  the  worms,  and 
their  perfect  uniformity,  ought  to  commence  at  their  hatching,  and  be 
maintained  with  care  during  the  continuance  of  their  feeding.  I  now 
consider  these  two  customs,  as  acquired  in  the  serigene  industry, 
(silk  culture,)  as  an  indispensable  means  of  success.  I  have  taken 
the  idea  from  a  short  memoir  of  P.  d'Entrecolles,  published  by  P. 
Duhalde.  Struck  with  this  unexpected  result,  and  seeing  that  the 
abridged  work  of  the  learned  missionary  left  many  things  to  desire,  I 
have  thought  it  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  Chinese  Authors 
themselves,  to  obtain  more  precise  and  complete  information  of  the 
silk  worms  and  mulberry  trees.  I  thought  I  ought  to  make  the  re- 
quest of  the  Minister  of  Commerce  and  Agriculture  to  have  two 
chapters  of  a  great  Chinese  work  translated,  which  treats  this  double 
question  in  a  new  and  profound  manner.* 

The  Minister  of  Commerce  felt  all  the  importance  of  a  publi- 
cation destined  to  improve  one  of  our  richest  branches  of  industry, 
and  in  order  to  prove  his  solicitude,  he  is  eager  to  have  the  transla- 
tion of  the  Chinese  book  printed  at  the  expense  of  Government,  for 
distribution ;  afterwards  to  the  cultivators  of  silk,  and  the  agricultu- 
rists, who  will  find  there  the  elements  of  new  experience  and  useful 
improvements. 

To  be  assured  whether  the  methods  contained  in  this  Treatise  are 
improved  since  its  publication,  which  goes  back  nearly  a  century,  M. 
Martin  (of  the  North)  conceived  the  happy  idea  of  sending  a  copy  of 
the  manuscript  Translation  to  M.  Louis  Hebert,  one  of  my  scholars, 
whom  Government  sent  a  year  ago  upon  the  coasts  of  China,  with 
the  special  design  of  studying  the  methods  of  those  countries,  and  of 
bringing  back  any  precious  varieties  of  mulberry  trees  and  silk 
worms,  which  may  be  unknown  to  us. 

This  translation  has  been  confided  to  Mr.  Stanislas  Julien,  member 
of  the  Institute,  and  professor  of  the  Chinese  language  and  literature, 

*  The  translation  of  the  Treatise  on  the  raising  of  Silk  Worms,  has  been  made 
in  virtue  of  a  decision  of  M.  Passey,  the  23d  of  August,  1836 :  This  is  M.  Martin, 
(of  the  North,)  actual  Minister  of  Commerce  and  Agriculture,  who  has  charged  M. 
St.  Julien  to  translate  the  Treatise  on  the  Cultivation  of  Mulberry  Trees. 

(C.  B.) 


1 6  INTRODUCTION. 

at  the  College  of  France.  It  offered  immense  difficulties  to  a  man, 
who,  by  his  literary  habits,  found  himself  completely  a  stranger  to  the 
proceedings  which  he  had  to  describe,  and  who  met,  for  the  first  time, 
with  the  greater  part  of  the  technical  terms  which  explain  them. 
The  raisers  of  the  silk  worms,  and  the  agriculturists,  will  observe 
the  patience  and  sagacity  required  of  M.  Julien,  to  enter  so  intimate- 
ly upon  this  subject,  and  exposing  all  the  details  with  a  clearness 
and  precision  which  one  could  only  expect  from  a  person  versed  in 
that  culture. 

The  original  of  that  translation  made  part  of  a  great  and  magnifi- 
cent Agricultural  collection,  published  by  order  of  the  Emperor, 
where  is  given  a  summary  of  the  most  scattered  works  which  treat 
of  the  cultivation  of  mulberry  trees,  and  the  rearing  of  silk  worms. 
The  Compilers  have  only  reported  faithfully  the  different  methods 
used  in  China,  without  seeking  to  show  those  which  appear  to  them 
the  best,  or  to  explain  the  contradictions  which  sometimes  appear 
there.  These  apparent  contradictions  will  be  easily  excused,  seeing 
that  the  Authors  of  this  work  desired  to  make  known  the  methods  of 
the  different  provinces,  methods  which  are  necessarily  subordinate  to 
the  wants  of  each  locality  to  the  advancement  of  its  inhabitants,  and 
the  difference  of  climates. 

I  should  like,  in  terminating  these  reflections,  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  reader  to  some  important  points  of  the  Chinese  work ;  for  ex- 
ample, upon  the  manner  of  making  the  butterflies  lay  their  eggs, 
and  of  preserving  the  eggs ;  also,  of  the  means  employed  to  make 
them  hatch  at  the  same  time.  I  will  point  attention,  from  the  same 
authority,  to  the  disastrous  effects  which  result  from  the  sudden  in- 
troduction of  cold  and  damp  air  in  a  silk  room,  where  the  tempera- 
ture is  high,  as  well  as  the  fatal  influence  which  is  produced  by  the 
fermentation  of  the  leaves,  upon  the  health  of  the  silk  worms.  I 
will  add  another  fact,  to  give  in  a  few  words  an  idea  of  the  incontest- 
able superiority  of  the  Chinese  methods  over  the  European :  it  is, 
that  they  hardly  lose  one  silk  worm  out  of  a  hundred,  while  the  Eu- 
ropeans lose  fifty  out  of  a  hundred. 

CAMILLE  BEAUVAIS. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


OF 


THE    TRANSLATOR 


A  STRANGER  to  the  serigeue*  industry,  and  to  the  science  of 
Agriculture,  it  does  not  belong  to  me,  above  all,  after  the  Introduc- 
tion of  M.  Carnille  Beauvais,  to  speak  of  the  practical  advantages 
which  the  Chinese  work  offers,  and  of  which  I  now  publish  the 
translation. 

I  will  only  present  to  the  reader  some  details,  purely  literary,  of 
which,  some  will  not,  perhaps,  be  uninteresting.  The  Chinese,  whose 

*  To  characterize  the  industry  which  takes  its  source  in  the  work  on  silk  worms, 
many  epithets  have  been  created  in  latter  days,  derived  from  the  Greek  or  Latin, 
of  which  the  inaccuracy  was  the  least  defect.  Mr.  Henry  Bourdon,  has  substituted 
for  it,  with  cause,  the  word  sericifere  (which  produces  the  silk.)  Without  finding 
fault  with  the  expression  made  use  of  by  this  learned  young  man,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  proposing,  in  my  turn,  the  epithet  strigene,  (produced  by  the  silk  worms.)  It 
is  more  concise,  and  can  qualify  with  sufficient  justice  the  industry,  which  is 
the  object  of  this  translation.  In  fact,  the  Greek  word,  2*j/>  (ser)  signifies  the 
caterpillar  which  produces  the  silk.  £y,p*  crxwX*?!  ysvvZv  TO  (rnptxov :  Vermis  qui 
producit  sericum  jilum.  (Greek  Dictionary  of  Hesychius,  page  1176.)  The  plural 
2  »?/>£$  is  found  in  the  same  sense  in  the  letters  of  the  Emperor  Julian,  (Epist.  24  \ 
O<  TTepa-ixoi  (Typis  :  Persici  bombyces  sen  vermesqui  sericafila  nent.  (See  the  great 
Dictionary  by  Henry  Estienne,  London  edition,  the  word  E^p?$.) 

The  termination  gene,  signifies  born  of,  begot,  produced  by.  It  derives  this 
meaning  from  the  Greek  yevyg  (in  the  compound  adjectives.)  I  will  quote  here 
the  example  A^o-yei/yjs  O^va-o-sv?,  Ulysses  born  of  Jupiter,  (Homer's  Odyssey, 
book  v,  verse  203.)  Thus,  from  the  Greek  etymology  the  expression  of  the 
industrious  se'rigene  signifies  exactly  the  industry  resulting  from  the  silk  worms, 
produced  by  the  (work  of  the)  silk  worms. 


1&  ADVERTISEMENT 

literature  is  the  richest  in  the  world,  possesses  many  hundred  works 
upon  agriculture,  which,  among  us,  always  comprises  the  raising  of 
Silk  Worms  and  the  cultivation  of  Mulberry  Trees.     They  have 
also  particular  treatises,  such  as  the   Tsan-chou,  the   Tsan-king, 
(books  on  siik  worms)  ;  the  Nan-fang-tsan-chou,  methods  used  in 
the  south ;    the  Pe-fang-1san-chou,  methods  used  in  the  north  of 
China,  the  l-s&ng-tsong-lun,  General  Considerations  upon  the  Culti- 
vation of  Mulberry  Trees,  etc.     But  among  the  twelve  thousand 
Chinese  volumes  which  the  Royal  Library  possesses,  there  are  but 
three  works  which  treat  in  a  manner  more  or  less  extensive  of  the 
double  question  which  occupies  us.     The  first  is  a  small  Encyclo- 
paedia of  the  Arts  and  Trades,  in  3  volumes,  8vo.,  entitled  Thien- 
kong-Jchai-we,  of  which  the  second  edition  has  appeared  in  1636. 
Brief  proceedings  are  found  there,  which  competent  persons  have 
thought  very  interesting.     I  have  given  them  the  greater  part  in 
the  Supplement,  (page  187-169.)     The  second  work  is  found  in  an 
agricultural  collection  of  sixty  books,  entitled  Nong-tching-tsiouen- 
chou.     It  has  been  composed  by  Siu-kouang-ki,  who,  after  having 
obtained   the   degree   of  Doctor,  occupied   successively  the   most 
eminent  offices,  and   became  preceptor  to  the  eldest  son  of  the 
Emperor.     We  see  in  his  biography,*  that  in  the  35th  year  of  the 
reign  of   Chin-tsong  (1607),  he  received  lessons  from   a  learned 
European  named  Li-ma-tcou,  (the  celebrated  missionary,  Matthew 
Ricci),  and  that  he  studied  under  his  direction  astronomy,  mathe- 
matics, in  their  application  to  the  Chinese  calendar,  and  the  theory 
of  fire-arms.     The  Emperor  Sse-tsong  having  heard  that  Siu-kouang, 
who  had  just  died,  had  left  a  great  work  on  agriculture,  entitled 
Nong-tching-tsiouen-chou,  ordered  it  to  be  presented  to  him  by  the 

*  Ming-s?^  (Annals  of  the  Dynasty  of  the  Ming),  book  CCLI,  folio  15,  imperial 
edition,  of  twenty-four  historians  of  the  first  order,  in  700  volumes,  small  folio. 
Peking,  1739. 


OF  THE  TRANSLATOR.  19 

nephew  of  the  author,  and  ordered  it  to  be  printed  at  the  expense  of 
the  State. 

The  third  work  is  entitled  King-ting-cheou-chi-thong-khao,  or  a 
General  Examination  of  Agriculture,  composed  by  order  of  the 
Emperor.  It  is  twice  as  extensive  as  the  preceding  collection,  and 
is  composed  of  LXXVIII  books,  distributed  in  24  volumes,  small,  in 
folio,  printed  with  all  the  care  and  elegance  that  distinguishes  the 
imperial  editions.  This  compilation,  undertaken  a  hundred  years  af- 
ter, (in  1739,)  in  virtue  of  a  special  decree,  by  learned  men  of  the 
first  order,  aided  by  the  most  skilful  agriculturists  of  the  empire,  gives 
him  a  high  importance.  The  extent  of  this  work,  its  official  char- 
acter, and  recent  date,  if  compared  with  the  two  collections  above- 
mentioned,  have  made  me  resolve  to  extract  from  it  the  Treatise  on 
the  Cultivation  of  Mulberry  Trees  and  the  raising  of  Silk  Worms,  the 
translation  of  which  the  Minister  of  Commerce  has  intrusted  to  me. 

If  I  was  not  afraid  of  being  misled  from  my  subject,  I  would  make 
all  the  objects  known  which  this  agricultural  encyclopaedia  embraces. 
I  will  content  myself  to  say  that  a  complete  treatise  can  be  found 
there,  (books  XXI-XL.)  of  leguminous  plants,  of  grain,  and  particu- 
larly of  the  cultivation  of  rice,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  figures 
engraved  with  care,  of  which  more  than  a  hundred  represent  the 
ploughing  instruments  of  the  Chinese,  and  the  machines  which  they 
make  use  of  for  the  irrigation  of  the  fields.  The  part  which  I 
have  translated  occupies  books  LXXII,  LXXVI. 

The  reader  will  be  able  to  form  an  idea  of  the  immense  riches  of 
the  Chinese  literature,  by  learning  that  the  agricultural  collections, 
entitled  Cheou-chi-thong-kao,  from  which  my  translation  is  extracted, 
made  a  part  of  the  library  of  the  most  estimable  works  in  China, 
of  which  the  publication  was  ordered  in  1773,  by  the  Emperor 
Khien-long,  and  which,  according  to  the  decree  of  this  prince,  was 
composed  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  volumes.  This  collection 


20  ADVERTISEMENT 

was  to  form  four  libraries,  called  Sse-]cou.  or  the  four  Treasures. 
It  yet  continues  to  be  printed,  and  in  1818  there  had  already 
appeared  seventy-eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
volumes,  of  that  vast  collection.*  There  has  been  published  by 
order  of  the  Emperor  two  accurate  catalogues ;  one  very  much 
abridged,  in  fifteen  small  volumes,  12mo.,  (Peking,  1775,)  and  the 
other  very  extensive  in  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  volumes,  8vo., 
(Peking,  1782.) 

*  The  following  is  a  Catalogue  of  the  bibliographic  divisions  in  which  are 
distributed  these  78,627  volumes. 

CLASSICAL  OR  REGARDED  AS  SACRED  WORKS. 

(KING.) 

NOTE. — The  numbers  that  follow  each  article  indicate  the  number  of  volumes 
contained  in  all  the  works  comprised  in  that  division.  The  first,  relative  to  I-king, 
embraces  1,526  different  works. 

The  Book  of  Variations  (I-King) l,750vols. 

The  Book  of  Annals  (CJiou-King) 661 

The  Book  of  Songs  (Chi-King) 951 

The  Book  of  Manners  and  Customs  (  Li-King),  that  is  to  say  the 

three  Rituals  entitled  Tcheou-li,  I-li,  and  Li-ki 2,168 

The  Chronicle  of  the  Kingdom  of  Lou 1,818 

The  Book  of  filial  Piety  (Hiao-King) 17 

Works  relative  to  the  interpretation  of  King 717 

THE  FOUR  CLASSICAL  BOOKS. 

The  great   Doctrine,  the   Invariable   medium,  the  Discourses  of 

Confucius  and  the  Philosopher  Meng-tseu 732 

Works  upon  Music 482 

Elementary  Books 913 

HISTORICAL  WORKS. 

Collection  of  the  Histories  of  all  the  Dynasties 3,681 

Annals,  in  Chronological  order 2,066 

General  History 1,205 

Particular  Histories 1,485 

Collections  of  Ordinances  and  Imperial  Decisions 1,474 

Biographies 949 

Historical  Documents 18 

Descriptions  of  particular  Districts 389 


OF  THE  TRANSLATOR.  21 

If  the  translation  of  this  work  had  been  executed  at  Peking,  by 
some  missionary,  surrounded  by  help  of  all  kind,  and  aided  by  the 
lights  of  Chinese  literati,  whom  no  difficulty  could  stop,  it  would 
have  been  as  irreproachable,  as  perfect,  as  that  of  an  English  work 
written  in  London,  with  the  assistance  of  the  most  enlightened  men 
of  Great  Britain. 

The  position  of  a  sinologue  in  Europe,  is  far  from  being  as  advan- 
tageous as  that  of  these  ancient  missionaries  of  Peking,  to  whom  we 

Chronology : 29vols. 

Geography  and  relations  of  voyages,  descriptions  of  foreign  coun- 
tries  4,788 

Administration  and  Government 392 

Political  Institutions,  Laws,  and  Edicts 3,785 

Bibliography  and  Inscriptions 700 

Criticisms  on  particular  histories 382 

RELIGION,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  OTHER  SCIENCES. 

School  of  Confucius,  Philosophers  of 1,694 

Military  Science 153 

Jurisprudence 94 

Agriculture 195 

Medicine .,...1,813 

Astronomy  and  Arithmetic 643 

Physic,  Physiognomy,  Astrology 432 

Painting,  Music,  Printing,  Dancing. 1,658 

Natural  History,  Dieteticks,  etc 363 

Miscellaneous 9,200 

Writings  of  an  inferior  order,  such  as  marvellous  histories 1,358 

Bouddhique  works 32 

Works  of  the  sect  of  Tao-sst 442 

Poems  of  various  kinds  and  Literary  Collections 28,998 


TOTAL  GENERAL 78,627  vols. 

These  details  have  come  in  part  from  the  Asiatic  Journal  of  Paris,  (July,  1834, 
page  64  seq.)  It  would  have  been  easy  for  me  to  translate  from  the  great  imperial 
Catalogue  the  titles  of  other  bibliographic  divisions,  adding  thereto  the  numbers 
which  complete  the  collection  of  160,000  volumes;  but  I  have  thought  this  notice, 
incomplete  as  it  is,  will  give  a  sufficient  idea  of  the  extent  of  Chinese  literature, 
and  of  the  resources  and  materials  of  every  species  which  it  offers  to  the  persons 
who  cultivate  it  in  Europe. 


22  ADVERTISEMENT. 

owe  so  many  useful  works.  It  is  necessary  to  struggle  every  moment, 
and,  perhaps,  without  help,  against  the  difficulties  of  the  most  redun- 
dant and  complicated  of  all  the  languages.  The  obstacles  infinitely 
multiply,  if  the  text  to  be  translated  be  full  of  technical  terms  and 
details,  and  if  the  difficulties  of  a  subject  which  is  strange  to  it,  be 
joined  to  the  difficulties  of  the  language. 

Such  are  the  difficulties  I  have  met  with,  in  the  course  of  my  trans- 
lation, I  hope  they  will  serve  as  an  excuse  for  the  faults  which  have 
escaped  me,  and  that  they  will  give  me  some  title  to  the  indulgence 
of  learned  men,  and  men  of  the  world. 

STANISLAS  JULIEN. 
PARIS,  15th  March,  1837. 


NOTE 


THE    TEMPERATURE    OF    CHINA.* 


IT  is  thought  better  to  join  to  this  publication  some  remarks  upon 
the  temperature  of  China,  to  show  in  what  physical  condition  the 
Chinese  are  placed  for  the  cultivation  of  mulberry  trees  and  the 
raising  of  silk  worms:  such  is  the  object  of  the  following  note  : 

China  extends  from  the  22d  to  the  41st  degree  of  north  lati- 
tude;  and,  from  its  near  situation  to  the  tropic,  the  mean  tem- 
perature of  this  vast  country  seems  to  be  superior  to  that  of  the  south 
of  Europe,  which  ?«>ps  at  the  36th  degree  of  latitude ;  but,  in  the 
Memoirs  upon  the  isothermes  lines,  or  upon  the  distribution  of  heat 
on  the  surface  of  the  globe,  (Society  of  Arcueil,  torn.  III.,)  M.  de 
Humbolcft  has  shown,  from  a  great  number  of  observations,  that  in 
the  s»me  latitude  the  mean  temperature  was  much  more  elevated, 
in  .Europe  and  Africa,  than  in  Asia  and  America.  Thus  to  limit  our- 
selves to  China,  the  observations  of  missionaries  and  other  travellers 
have  fixed  the  mean  temperature  of  Peking  at  12°,  7  centigrades ; 
that  of  Nangasaki,  Japan  at  16° ;  that  of  Macao  at  23°,  3 ;  that 

*  I  owe  the  following  Note  to  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Edward  Biot,  whom  I  have 
the  honor  of  numbering  among  my  scholars.  The  Minister  of  Commerce,  having 
desired  that  I  should  unite  to  my  translation  some  remarks  upon  the  temperature 
of  China,  has  offered  me  the  results  of  inquiries  he  has  made  on  this  subject.  I 
have  accepted  them  with  eagerness,  convinced  that  his  scientific  knowledge  hn» 
furnished  him  the  means  of  giving  to  these  determinations  all  the  exactness  that 
observations  collected  by  travellers  could  have  obtained. 


24 


NOTE  UPON  THE 


of  Canton  at  22°,  9;  and  if  compared  with  the  cities  of  Europe  and 
Africa,  where  the  temperature  is  analogous  to  that  of  those  four  cities, 
the  following  table  will  be  found  : 


Asia. 


Latitude.  Mean 

Temperature. 


Europe  and 
Africa. 


Latitude.  Mean 

'     Temperature. 


Peking 39°  54'       +  12°,  7 


Nangasaki 32°  45'      -f-  16°,  0 

Canton 23°    8'      +  22°,  9 

Macao 22°  12'      -f  23°,  0 


Paris 48°  50'  +  10°,  6 

Lyons 45°  40'  -f-  13°,  2 

Montpellier 43°  36'  -f  15°,  2 

Toulon 43°    7'  -f  15°,  8 

Rome ...41°  53'  +  15°,  8 

Naples 40°  50'  -f  17°»  4 

Algiers 36°  58'  +21°,  1 

Cairo 30°    2'  +  22°,  4 


From  this  comparison  it  may  be  concluded  that  the  mean  tempera- 
ture of  Peking,  and  of  the  north   of  China,  is  sensibly  equal  to  that 
of  Lyons,  and  more  elevated  than  that  of  Paris,  by  two  degrees. 
The  central  provinces  of  China,  between  the  Yellow  and  Kiang 
rivers,  being  situated  under  latitudes  little  different  from  that  of  Nan- 
gasaki, their  mean  temperature  ought  to  be  froiri  15  to  16  degrees, 
or  about  that,  of  our  Provence.     The  mean  temperature  of  Macao 
and  Canton  is  more  elevated  than  that  of  Algiers,  by  two  degrees,  of 
which  the  geographical  position  is  more  northern  by  15°.     It  ap- 
proaches that  of  Cairo,  which  is  situated  in  30°  of  latitude,  and 
which  is  found  farther  north  by  7  to  8°,  than  the  two  Chinese  Cities. 
But,  it  must  be  observed,  with  M.  de  Humboldt,  that  the  tem- 
perature of  winter  and  that  of  summer,  appears  to  differ  much  more  in 
Asia  and  America,  than  in  Europe  and  Africa.     Thus,  at  Peking, 
after  Amyot,  who  observed  there,  for  six  years,  the  mean  temper- 
ature of  the  warmest  month  is  +29°,  1 ;  the  summer,  like  that  of 
Naples,  whilst  the  mean  temperature  of  the  coldest  month  is  4°, 
and  the  thermometer  remains  there  for  three  months  below  zero,  like 
at  Copenhagen,  more  north  than  Peking  by  15°  in  latitude.    Accord- 
ing to  the  Dutch,  at  Nangasaki,  in  32°  of  latitude,  the  temperature 


TEMPERATURE  OF  CHINA.  25 

of  the  warmest  month  is  +30°,  5,  as  it  is  at  Cairo,  situated  in  30°; 
and  the  temperature  of  the  coldest  month  is  5  to  8  degrees  above 
zero ;  sometimes  the  thermometer  descends  to  3°,  results  which 
correspond  with  the  winters  of  Marseilles,  situated  in  43°  of  latitude. 
At  Macao  in  22°  of  latitude,  La  Perouse  has  found  -}-150,  5  for 
the  mean  temperature  of  January,  and  which  is  observed  equally 
at  Algiers,  much  more  north  than  Macao ;  and  the  mean  tempera- 
ture of  the  Chinese  city  being  superior  by  2°  to  that  of  Algiers,  the 
summer  ought  to  be  there  sensibly  warmer. 

Recent  observations  confirm  these  variations  between  the  tem- 
peratures of  winter  and  summer  in  China.  Thus,  in  1816,  dur- 
ing the  return  of  the  Ambassador  of  Lord  Amherst,  a  series  of 
thermometrical  observations  made  in  the  month  of  September, 
between  the  38°  and  35°  of  latitude,  give  23°,  58  for  the  mean 
temperature  of  this  month,  and  which  is  equally  remarked  in  our 
Provence.  In  1820,  at  Timkowski,  in  Mongolia,  in  40  to  45°  of 
latitude,  in  the  month  of  October  and  November  the  thermometer 
descended  from  10  to  15  degrees  below  zero.  A  French  Mission- 
ary established  in  1833  in  East  Tartary,  at  Si-wang,  in  41°,  39'  of 
latitude,  relates  extraordinary  differences  between  the  temperatures 
of  summer  and  winter.  According  to  him,  the  thermometer  rises  to 
37°  5  centigrades  in  summer,  and  descends  to  37°  5,  below  zero  in 
winter.  "  During  this  last  season  spirits-of-wine  only  remained  liquid, 
and  when  a  metal  is  touched  with  moist  hands,  the  epidermis  of  the 
fingers  remains  attached  thereto."*  In  conclusion,  a  useful  remark 
upon  the  temperature  of  the  central  provinces  is  furnished  us  by  a 
Missionary  who  has  lived  ten  years  in  China,  and  which  limits  the 
cultivation  of  the  orange  to  the  30th  degree  of  latitude,  while  in 
Provence  we  have  orange  trees  as  high  as  the  43d  degree. 

From  the  data  furnished  by  the  original  texts  upon  the  production 
*  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  Faith,  Nos.  40  and  50. 
3 


26  NOTE. 

of  divers  provinces  of  China,  and  from  the  reports  of  Missionaries, 
the  greater  part  of  the  silk  is  produced  in  the  central  provinces  of 
China,  situated  between  the  25th  and  35th  degrees  of  latitude  ;  and 
it  is  well  established  by  the  preceding  observations  that  the  mean 
temperature  of  these  central  provinces  differs  but  little  from  our  Pro- 
vence ;  the  winters  there  are  a  little  milder,  and  the  summers  rather 
warmer. 

The  quotations  in  the  commencement  of  the  present  translation, 
indicate  that  the  manufacture  of  silk  extended,  anciently,  to  the  pro- 
vinces of  the  north  of  China,  and  it  may  be  presumed  that  it  is  not 
entirely  abandoned  there  now. 

These  provinces  are,  as  we  have  seen,  exposed  to  singular  alter- 
nations of  cold  and  heat ;  but  the  raising  of  silk  worms  commences  in 
April,  and  at  that  epoch  of  the  year  the  air  is  sufficiently  warm  to  raise 
them  throughout  China.  Their  development  may  yet  be  aided  by 
the  artificial  heat  described  in  the  work.  The  cold  of  winter  in  these 
provinces  seems  very  rigorous,  yet  the  mulberry  trees  do  not  freeze, 
but  we  do  not  know  every  species  of  mulberry  possessed  by  the  Chi- 
nese. When  they  shall  be  received,  through  the  care  of  Mr.  Louis 
Herbert,  whom  Government  sent  a  year  ago  to  China,  it  is  hoped 
they  will  succeed  in  France,  and  that  they  will  resist  the  cold  of  our 
climate. 


CULTIVATION 


MULBERRY   TREES. 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


Tckin-iu,  being  Governor  of  the  province  of  Kien-te, 
ordered  every  man  of  the  nation  to  plant  fifteen  feet  with 
mulberries.  [Annals  of  the  dynasty  of  Liang ;  biography 
of  Tchin-iu.'] 


The  Emperor  gave  to  each  man  twenty  acres  of  land,  on 
condition  of  their  planting  fifty  feet  with  mulberries.  [An- 
nals of  the  dynasty  of  Wei ;  Memoirs  upon  Provisions  and 
Commerce.] 


When  the  agricultural  labors  are  terminated,  or  when 
the  rain  prevents  persons  from  working  in  the  fields,  every 
thing  must  be  taught  relative  to  the  cultivation  of  mulberry 
trees.  [Annals  of  Northern  China;  biography  of  Sou- 
tcho.] 


28  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

The  Emperor  Hien-teoifg,  who  ascended  the  throne  in 
the  year  806,  ordered  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  to 
plant  two  feet  with  mulberries  in  each  acre  of  ground. 
[Annals  of  the  dynasty  of  T/iang ;  life  of  the  Emperor 
Hien-tsong.~\ 


The  first  Emperor  of  the  dynasty  of  Song  (who  com- 
menced to  reign  in  the  year  960)  promulgated  a  decree 
to  prevent  the  mulberry  and  jujube  trees  from  being  de- 
stroyed. (The  leaves  of  that  tree  may  serve  to  feed  the  silk 
worms.)  [History  of  the  dynasty  of  Song.] 


An  imperial  decree  says  : 

If,  among  the  people,  men  are  found  who  grub  up  the 
uncultivated  ground,  and  plant  a  great  quantity  of  mulberry 
trees,  only  the  ancient  tax  will  be  exacted  from  them. 
[Extract  from  the  same  work.] 


DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    MULBERRY    TREES. 

1st.  The  small  mulberry  trees  (dwarf  trees)  have  long 
branches,  called  niu-sang  (ladies'  mulberry  trees)  and 
i-sang.  [Eul-ya  Dictionary.] 

2nd.  The  yen-sang  or  chan-sang  is  the  wild  mulberry 
tree,  the  mountain  tree.  [Same  work.] 

3rd.  The  tseu-sang  or  seed  mulberry  tree ;  its  fruit 
shoots  out  before  its  leaves.  [Japanese  Encyclopedia,  book 
LXXXIV,  fol.  1.  ] 

4th.     The  mulberry  tree  called  khi-sang  (that  is  to  say, 

chicken  mulberries)  have  leaves  veined  with  red  ;  they  are 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  29 

rather  thick.  The  silk  worms  that  are  fed  on  them  produce 
a  thin  cocoon,  which  furnishes  little  silk.  [Tchong-clwii- 
chou.~\ 

5th.  The  white  mulberry  tree  bears  thick  leaves,  that 
are  as  large  as  any  one's  hand.  The  cocoons  of  the  worms 
that  are  fed  on  them,  enclose  a  strong  and  abundant  silk. 
This  leaf  furnishes  twice  as  much  silk  as  that  of  the  ordinary 
mulberry  tree.  [Ibidem.] 

6th.  The  mulberry  trees,  of  which  the  leaves  are 
plaited,  and  covered  with  a  yellow  pellicle,  is  called  kin- 
sang,  or  the  gilded  mulberry  tree.  All  the  silk  worms 
cannot  be  fed  on  the  leaves  of  this  tree,  of  which  the  color 
foretells  that  the  tree  will  soon  dry  and  perish.  [Ibidem.] 

There  are  some  mulberry  trees  that  do  not  produce  fruit ; 
they  are  vulgarly  called  nan-sang  or  male  mulberry  trees. 
[Japanese  Encyclopedia.] 

The  mulberry  trees,  of  which  the  fruit  sprouts  out  before 
the  leaves,  necessarily  bears  very  few  leaves.  [Tchong- 
chou-chou.~] 


To  sow  mulberries,  the  fruit  of  the  black  mulberry  tree 
of  Lou  must  be  taken.  The  yellow  mulberry  trees  of  the 
country  of  Lou  cannot  be  preserved  a  long  time.  [Thsi- 
min-yao-chou.'] 


The  mulberry  trees  of  the  country  of  Kking  (ancient 
name  of  the  province  of  Hou-kouang)  and  of  the  country 
of  Low,  may  be  planted  in  level  plains,  where  the  ground 
is  limey  and  clayey,  and  also  in  light  earth.  If  the  ground 
touches  a  mountain  or  hill;  that  is  hard  and  mixed  with  red 


30  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

are  veins,  it  is  only  suitable  for  the  mulberry  trees  of  the 
country  of  Khing.     [Nong-sang-yao-tchi.] 


The  different  kinds  of  mulberry  trees  are  very  numerous, 
we  cannot  describe  them  all. 

The  best  are  those  of  the  country  of  Lou,  and  of  the 
country  of  Khing.  The  mulberry  trees  of  Khing  yield  a 
great  quantity  of  fruit,  but  those  of  Lou  very  little.  Those 
of  which  the  leaves  are  thin,  pointed,  and  divided  in  lobes, 
are  the  trees  of  the  country  of  Khing.  They  bear  solid 
and  hard  leaves. 

The  mulberry  trees  of  the  country  of  Lou  have  round, 
thick,  and  juicy  leaves. 

The  mulberry  trees  of  which  the  branches  and  leaves  are 
large,  and  thick,  are  a  species  of  those  of  Lou. 

The  mulberry  trees  of  Khing  have  solid  roots  and  full 
hearts  ;  they  last  for  a  long  time.  Those  are  the  kind  to 
be  planted. 

The  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  have  less  solid  roots,  and 
hearts  not  so  full ;  they  cannot  last  for  any  length  of  time, 
(dwarf  mulberry  trees.)  Trees  called  ti-sang  are  formed 
from  them  ;  but  the  trees  of  Khing  have  neither  as  many 
branches,  nor  as  many  leaves,  as  those  of  Lou.  Branches 
of  the  mulberry  tree  of  Lou  may  be  grafted  upon  them ; 
they  then  live  for  a  long  time,  and  yield  an  abundance  of 
leaves. 

If  the  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  be  employed  to  obtain  the 
species  of  tree  called  ti-sang<  (dwarf  trees)  and  if  they 
be  re-produced  by  twigs,  they  propagate  without  interrup- 
tion, and  last  an  infinite  time. 

The  silk  worms  that  are  fed  with  the  leaves  of  the  mul- 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  31 

berry  trees  of  Khing,  produce  a  firm  arid  strong  silk  ;  it  is 
fit  to  make  cha  and  lo-cha,  (kinds  of  thick  gauze  and  crape.) 
The  leaves  of  the  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  agree  with  the 
worms  that  are  large  ;  those  of  the  trees  of  Khing  with  the 
small  worms.  [Nong-sang-thong-khioue.] 


The  work  entitled  Thsi-min-yao-chou,  decribes  the  man- 
ner of  obtaining  the  best  seed  of  the  black  mulberry  trees. 

The  two  ends  of  the  mulberry  must  be  cut  off  with  a  pair 
of  scissors,  and  only  the  middle  part  taken.  The  seed  of  the 
two  extremities  are  comparatively  smaller  than  the  others, 
and  if  sown  they  produce  little  mulberry  trees,  called  khi- 
sang,  (chicken  mulberry  trees)  and  hoa-sang,  (flowering 
mulberry  trees.) 


The  intermedial  part  of  the  mulberry  has  larger  and 
harder  seed.  The  trees  that  proceed  from  them  have  firmer 
and  stronger  branches,  and  they  bear  thick  and  nourishing 
leaves.  [Nong-sang-thong-khioue.'] 


The  mulberry  trees  called  ti-sang  (dwarf  trees)  ought  to 
be  planted  in  a  garden  near  a  well.  If  grass  springs  up 
around  the  roots  of  the  trees,  the  earth  must  be  turned 
up  with  a  spade.  When  it  does  not  rain  they  must  be 
watered.  When  the  silk  worms  are  hatched  they  ought  to 
be  watered  three  times  a  day  ;  the  leaves  will  then  grow 
very  quickly. 

Among  the  different  kinds  of  mulberry  trees  there  are 
some  that  sprout  out  early,  others  late.  It  is  from  among 
the  mulberry  trees  which  are  in  leaf  the  earliest,  that  those 


32  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

are  chosen,  from  which  the  trees  called   ti~sang,  or  dwarf 
mulberry  trees,  are  formed.     [Nong-tching-tsioucn-chou.'] 


In  the  work,  entitled  Tchong~hoa-min,h  is  read  :  There 
are  two  kinds  of  mulberry  trees :  one  bears  the  fruit  of 
which  we  sow  the  seed  :  it  sprouts  out  in  the  first  or  second 
month,  (February  or  March.) 

The  following  is  the  manner  the  other  kind  is  multiplied  : 
A  pliant  branch  is  bent  to  the  ground,  and  maintained 
in  that  position  by  a  clod  of  clay.  Each  bud  produces  a 
branch.  When  this  mulberry  tree  has  attained  the  height 
of  two  or  three  feet,  its  roots  are  then  formed.  The  mother 
branch  to  which  it  belongs  is  then  cut,  and  it  is  transplanted 
in  another  place.  Jt  soon  becomes  a  tree.  [Same  work.] 


In  the  memoirs  of  Hoang-sing-tseng,  entitled,  General 
Considerations  upon  the  Cultivation  of  Mulberry  Trees,  we 
read  : 

There  are  some  mulberry  trees  called  ti-sang,  (dwarf 
trees,)  they  come  from  Nan-tsin.  There  are  some  mul- 
berry trees  called  thiao-sang,  or  trees  formed  from  lay- 
ers ;  they  are  brought  from  the  neighbouring  plains  of 
Hang-tcheou-fou,  in  the  province  of  Tche-kiang.  They 
are  sold  the  ten  first  days  of  the  first  month  of  the  year, 
(February.) 

The  market  is  situated  at  Pe-sin,  near  the  bridge  called 
Kiang-tchang-kiao.  The  merchants  come  at  the  rising  of 
the  sun,  and  spread  out  their  plants  of  mulberry  trees  to  the 
right  and  left  of  the  bridge.  At  12  o'clock  they  retire. 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  ,33 

OBSERVATIONS  UPON    THE  CHOICE  OF  MULBERRY  PLANTS. 

The  mulberry  with  a  wrinkled  bark  yields  only  small 
and  thin  leaves;  those  of  which  the  bark  is  white,  the  joints 
long,  and  have  large  buds,  are  the  leafy  trees  of  Chi,  (dios- 
pyros ;)  they  always  bear  large  and  thick  leaves.  The  co- 
coons spun  by  worms  fed  on  them  are  firm,  and  furnish 
a  great  deal  of  silk. 

The  tall  white  mulberries  succeed  well  upon  the  declivi- 
ty of  hills,  in  the  angle  of  a  wall,  or  by  the  side  of  a  hedge. 

The  mulberry  trees  of  less  height,  with  a  black  bark, 
should  be  planted  in  moist  ground.  [Same  work.] 

The  mulberry  trees  with  black  bark,  which  produce  no 
seed,  when  the  leaves  are  not;  too  thick,  are  good  for  the 
nourishment  of  newly  hatched  silk  worms.  (Same  work.) 

The  trees  of  the  country  of  Wang-hai,  are  multiplied 
in  the  same  manner  as  those  with  the  white  bark.  The 
tree  called  thse-teng-sang  (or  mulberry  tree  with  rose-like 
branches)  grows  high  and  strong. 

The  white  mulberry  tree,  or  the  tree  with  white  bark, 
yields  very  little  seed,  it  is  multiplied  by  layers.  If  a  per- 
son has  seed  they  can  sow  it,  but  it  must  be  in  the  shade. 
Heavy  well  filled  cocoons  will  be  formed,  which  will  pro- 
duce twice  as  much  silk  as  the  ordinary  ones.  [Same 
work.] 


THE  PLANTING  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

In  the  filth  month,  (June,)  the  mulberries  must  be  gathered 
and  put  into  water.  The  pulp  must  be  crushed  with  the 
hands,  and  washed  several  times.  When  the  seed  is  sepa- 
rated, it  must  be  dried  in  the  shade. 

Ten  acres  of  fertile  land,  or  what  is  better,  land  that  has 
5 


34  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

not  been  cultivated  for  a  long  time,  must  be  prepared.  In 
each  acre  three  ching  (kind  of  measure)  of  millet  and  mul- 
berry seed,  mixed  together,  must  be  sown.  The  millet  and 
mulberry  trees  ought  to  vegetate  at  the  same  time.  The 
mulberries  must  be  dug,  transplanted  and  arranged  so  as  to 
stand  at  suitable  distances  from  each  other.  When  the  mil- 
let is  ripe  it  must  be  reaped.  The  mulberries  have  also 
grown,  and  attained  a  height  equal  to  the  millet ;  they  must 
be  cut  close  to  the  ground,  with  a  sickle,  or  a  sharp  scythe  ; 
leave  them  to  dry  in  the  sun,  and  when  it  is  windy,  burn 
them.  For  that,  it  is  always  necessary  to  choose  the  mo- 
ment when  the  wind  blows  from  a  favorable  quarter. 

The  mulberry  plants  will  shoot  forth  the  following  spring. 
One  acre  will  yield  leaves  enough  to  nourish  the  silk  worms 
of  three  hurdles.  [Khi-ching-tchi-chou.] 


When  the  fruit  of  mulberry  trees,  and  the  trees  called 
tche  have  come  to  maturity,  the  black  fruit  of  the  mulberry 
trees  of  Lou  must  be  gathered ;  they  must  be  washed  the 
same  day  in  water,  and  the  seed  separated.  They  must  be 
dried  in  the  sun,  and  sown  in  beds  of  earth,  which  should 
be  dug  and  watered,  as  if  for  the  cultivation  of  the  plant 
called  Koue'i,  (mallows.)  The  ground  should  be  constantly 
weeded,  and  kept  clear  of  noxious  plants.  The  next  year, 
in  the  first  month,  (February,)  the  mulberry  trees  must  be 
taken  up  and  transplanted,  leaving  between  each  plant  a 
distance  of  four  or  five  feet.  This  operation  can  be  done 
equally,  in  the  second  and  third  months  of  Spring.  The 
ground  must  not  be  ploughed.  Generally,  the  failure  of 
mulberry  plants  proceeds  from  the  ploughing ;  the  iron  of 
the  plough  cuts  and  wounds  the  roots. 

The  seed  must  be  thickly  sown,  because,  notwithstanding 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  35 

the  great  care  that  is  taken  with  the  cultivation,  a  great 
number  of  the  mulberry  trees  often  die.  The  trees  grow 
slowly  from  seedlings  in  beds.  To  have  them  grow  fast, 
slips  of  the  black  mulberry  tree  must  be  taken.  Those 
persons  that  have  no  mulberry  plants  are  obliged  to  sow 
the  seed. 

The  earth  should  be  spaded  about  the  mulberry  trees, 
and  lo-teou  (dolichos)  and  siao-teou  (phaseolus  radiatus) 
sown  there.  For  two  years  after  having  planted  the  mul- 
berry trees,  care  must  be  taken,  not  to  gather  the  leaves, 
because  the  trees  that  have  had  the  leaves  taken  from 
them,  when  young,  do  not  grow  half  so  fast  as  the  others. 

When  the  mulberry  trees  are  as  large  as  one's  arm,  they 
must  be  transplanted  in  the  second  month,  to  about  thirty- 
feet  apart. 

The  trees  of  one  row  must  not  correspond  with  those  of 
another,  otherwise  they  will  injure  the  lo-teov,  (dolichos) 
the  siao-teou,  (phaseolus  radiatus.)  We  will  also  add,  that 
if  the  mulberry  trees  were  planted  in  regular  lines,  they 
would  constrain  the  movement  of  the  plough. 

The  following  is  the  time,  when  the  layers  ought  to  be 
taken.  In  the  first  or  second  month  branches  must  be 
bent  down,  and  fixed  to  the  ground  with  hooks  or  forked 
sticks.  When  these  branches  have  pushed  or  sprouted  some 
inches,  they  must  be  surrounded  with  dry  and  well  pressed 
earth.  If  the  earth  is  damp  the  young  shoots  will  rot.  In 
the  first  month  of  the  next  year,  (February,)  the  mother 
branches  must  be  cut  and  the  roots  transplanted.  [Thsi- 
min-yao-chou.] 


Whenever  a  field  of  mulberry  trees  is  ploughed,  it  must 
not  be  near  the  trees ;  the  trees  would  be  injured,  and  the 


36  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

plough  broken-  In  the  places  where  the  plough  has  not 
passed,  the  soil  must  be  turned  over  with  a  spade,  the  strag- 
gling roots  cut  even  with  the  ground,  and  the  soil  enriched 
with  the  dung  of  the  silk  worm. 

First  sow  the  seed  ;  then  plant  the  cuttings.  The  third 
operation  consists  in  arranging  the  mulberry  trees  in  the 
nursery.  [Same  work.]- 

The  twelfth  month,  (January,)  is  the  most  proper  month 
for  the  pruning  of  the  mulberry  trees.  The  first  month, 
(February,)  is  not  so  good  ;  the  second  month  still  less  so. 
In  general,  when  there  are  many  mulberry  trees,  they  ought 
to  be  pruned  largely  ;  when  there  are  but  few,  they  ought 
to  be  cut  with  a  great  deal  of  discretion. 

The  seed  of  the  mulberries,  before  being  sown,  must  be 
washed  with  care,  and  dried  in  the  sun,  and  then  sown  in 
well  cultivated  ground.  [7\hong-chou-chou.'] 

Instead  of  sowing  the  seed,  to  obtain  mulberry  trees,  we 
think  it  better  to  lay  the  branches  along  the  ground,  and 
to  transplant  the  twigs,  when  they  have  taken  root. 

The  following  is  the  mode  of  propagating  mulberry  trees 
in  Tche-kiang.  They  strip  a  branch  of  its  leaves  and  plant 
it  in  the  ground  ;  that  operation  is  called  ki&sang*  Then 
the  head  is  again  covered  (the  superior  extremity  of  the 
slip  of  a  tree)  with  a  shell,  for  fear  the  rain,  of  the  third 
month,  might  injure  the  bark.  After  the  second  year,  these 
slips  are  strong  and  vigorous. 

The  nursery  beds  of  mulberry  trees  must  not  be  spaded 
in  the  middle  of  the  day.  [  Tchong-chou-chou.~\ 


When  the  time  for  sowing  has  come,  the  seed  must  be 
mixed  with  some  ashes  from  the  branches  of  the  mulberry 
trees,  and  they  must  be  soaked  to  make  them  soft.  The 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  37 

next  day  the  seed  must  be  washed  with  care,  and  those  that 
float  are  rejected. 

The  full  seed  must  be  dried  in  the  sun,  until  the  absorbed 
water  has  entirely  evaporated.  They  can  then  be  sown, 
and  they  never  fail  to  grow  rapidly.  [Nung-sang-thong- 


The  following  passage  is  from  the  work  entitled,  S$&- 
nong-pi-yong  : 

New  seed  of  the  mulberry  should  only  be  sown.  Old 
seed  must  not  be  used,  because  it  is  in  a  great  measure 
barren.  The  most  advantageous  method  is  to  sow  it  in  a 
very  shady  square,  or  to  cover  it  with  a  kind  of  small  roof, 
in  the  form  of  a  tent.  The  shade  of  hemp  is  not  so  favor- 
able, that  of  millet  still  less  so. 

Between  each  plant  of  the  mulberry  five  to  seven  inches 
must  be  left,  and  they  must  be  frequently  watered,  until 
they  have  attained  the  height  of  three  feet  ;  then  the  hemp 
must  be  cut. 

In  the  tenth  month,  (November,)  they  must  be  cut  even 
with  the  ground,  dry  grass  is  then  spread  over  them,  and 
the  whole  burnt  over.  The  fi[e  must  not  be  too  strong, 
because  it  will  injure  the  roots. 

The  place  must  be  covered  with  decomposed  vegetable 
manure,  until  the  following  Spring  ;  afterwards  the  weeds 
and  grass  so  reduced  to  manure  must  be  raked  up,  and  the 
plants  watered.  From  each  plant  many  shoots  will  come  ; 
the  strongest  must  be  preserved,  and  the  others  cut. 

When  the  mulberry  trees  have  good  roots,  they  do  not 
require  the  shade  ;  they  must  be  frequently  watered. 

In  the  autumn,  the  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  will  be  from 
five  to  seven  feet  high,  and  those  of  Khing  from  three  to 
four. 

The  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  may  be  transplanted  and 


38  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

changed  to  dwarf  trees.  The  trees  of  Khing  can  be 
planted  and  raised  in  a  garden.  :>[- 

To  succeed  in  the  cultivation  of  dwarf  mulberry  trees, 
they  must  be  restrained  in  their  growth  by  the  prescribed 
rules,  and  care  taken  that  they  do  not  wither. 

Those  persons  who  have  not  large  mulberry  trees,  con- 
tent themselves  with  the  dwarf.  This  kind  of  tree  requires 
but  half  the  labor.  Some  persons  have  both  the  large  and 
dwarf  mulberry  trees.  When  the  first  are  in  full  bearing 
the  others  are  abandoned. 

The  dwarf  mulberry  trees  must  be  watered  three  times 
a  day,  in  order  that  they  may  grow  rapidly.  When  the  silk 
worms  have  recovered  from  their  great  torpidity,  (the  third 
moulting,)  the  mulberry  trees  sometimes  cannot  reproduce 
leaves,  recourse  must  then  be  had  to  the  dwarfs.  In  this 
manner  the  latter  silk  worms  arrive  at  maturity  without 
ever  wanting  leaves.  [Sse-nong-pi-yong.'] 


METHOD    OF    TRANSPLANTING    THE    DWARF    MULBERRY    TREES. 

In  a  garden  surrounded  by  walls,  a  piece  of  ground  is 
chosen,  well  cultivated  with  the  plough  and  spade,  and 
in  a  square  of  ground,  of  five  feet,  a  ditch  must  be  dug  on 
each  side,  two  feet  in  breadth  and  two  in  depth. 

In  one  acre  of  ground  two  hundred  and  fifty  cuttings 
may  be  planted.  In  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  three  ching, 
(three-tenths  of  a  bushel)  of  well-rotted  manure  must  be 
spread.  Fresh  manure  will  not  answer.  In  a  good  soil  only 
a  small  quantity  is  required  ;  an  equal  quantity  of  earth  must 
be  mixed  with  it,  then  a  bucket  of  water  poured  in,  in  order 
to  make  a  soft  compost.  A  plant  of  the  mulberry  tree  of 
Lou  must  be  chosen,  that  has  grown  from  seed,  in  the 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  39 

squares  of  ground.  Then  it  must  be  raised  up  by  a  spade, 
with  its  roots ;  seven  inches  of  the  stalk  must,  be  left  with 
the  root,  and  the  rest  removed ;  then  the  wound  must  be 
burnt  with  a  hot  iron. 

In  each  ditch  a  plant  must  be  placed  in  the  middle  of  the 
soft  mud,  and  it  must  be  carefully  set  at  the  bottom  of  the 
cavity,  (when  a  quick  result  is  required  two  must  be  plant- 
ed.) It  must  be  lifted  up  lightly  four  or  five  times,  in  or- 
der that  the  roots  and  fibres  may  take  a  good  direction. 
The  top  of  the  stalk  must  be  even  with  the  ground  ;  sur- 
rounded and  filled  in  to  the  top  of  the  ditch,  with  well  de- 
cayed (or  warm)  earth. 

The  next  day  the  earth  must  be  pressed  or  rammed  down 
to  make  it  more  compact,  until  it  fills  but  half  the  hole. 
The  earth  lying  under  these  roots  is  naturally  compact ; 
without  that,  the  roots  would  not  adhere  strongly  to  the 
earth,  and  this  defect  would  cause  a  great  many  mulberry 
trees  to  perish. 

The  upper  half  of  the  ditch  must  be  filled  with  well  de- 
cayed (or  warm)  earth  ;  it  must  be  lightly  pressed  down, 
so  as  to  level  it  and  fill  the  hole. 

The  earth  that  touches  the  stalk  must  not  be  very 
compact  ;  because  the  buds  will  have  some  difficulty  in 
pushing. 

Above  the  stalk  a  small  hill  must  be  raised,  made  of 
light  earth,  about  five  or  six  inches  high.  In  this  manner 
a  small  gutter  is  formed  around  it,  through  which  the  rain 
and  the  watering  penetrate.  When  the  shoots  spring  up 
from  the  ground  to  the  height  of  four  or  five  inches,  only 
one  or  two  branches  must  be  left  on  each  plant. 

If  they  are  spaded  and  watered  according  to  the  prescribed 
rules,  they  will  grow,  in  one  year,  to  the  height  of  about 
five  feet. 


40  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

The  next  year,  the  branches  must  be  cut  even  with  the 
ground  ;  the  leaves  serve  to  feed  the  silk  worms.  A  steel 
hedging  bill,  with  a  thick  back,  must  be  used,  which  cuts 
the  branch  by  a  single  stroke.  The  irregularities  must  be 
smoothed,  and  the  cut  made  even,  when  the  instrument  is 
dull  and  cannot  cut  the  branches  by  a  single  stroke.  The 
rain  injures  the  roots.  The  stalk  of  the  dwarf  mulberry 
trees  must  not  come  out  of  the  ground  ;  they  ought  to 
push  from  below  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

Those  of  which  the  stalks  are  above  ground,  are  called 
khio-kao,  that  is  to  say,  as  high  as  a  foot.  The  branches 
that  shoot  above  the  stalk  are  not  strong,  and  moreover,  it 
is  seldom  that  they  are  not  injured  and  broken  by  the  rain 
and  wind. 

Below  the  cut  place,  several  shoots  spring  around  the 
stalk.  Four  or  five  branches  may  be  left  to  each  plant, 
and  all  the  others  pruned  away.  Every  year  the  tree 
must  be  cut  even  with  the  ground.  By  degrees  the  root 
will  become  strong  and  vigorous;  a  greater  number  of 
branches  may  be  gradually  left. 

In  regard  to  the  stalks  of  wild  mulberry  trees  of  the 
country  of  Low,  they  can  be  planted  as  the  others ;  they 
succeed  equally  well  with  the  others  ;  the  above  mentioned 
rules  are  to  be  strictly  followed.  At  the  expiration  of 
three  years,  a  mulberry  tree  will  be  in  full  growth  ;  at  the 
end  of  five  years  the  roots  interweave.  The  interlacing  of 
the  roots  is  injurious  to  its  vigor.  In  the  spring  the  inter- 
woven roots  must  be  cut,  and  manure  put  at  the  root  of  the 
tree.  As  soon  as  it  has  been  watered,  and  moistened  by 
the  rain,  it  resumes  its  growth  and  vigor.  Afterwards, 
when  the  roots  are  supposed  to  be  enlarged,  the  branches 
must  be  bent  down  to  the  ground,  and  plants  are  obtained 
by  layers,  that  must  be  transplanted  to  another  enclosure, 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  41 

and  which  are  afterwards  cultivated,  according  to  the  rules 
we  have  already  prescribed. 

Three  years  after  their  planting,  the  new  mulberry  trees 
spring  up  with  vigor.  When  the  branches  of  mulberry 
trees  are  cut  to  nourish  the  silk  worms,  only  one  branch 
above  the  foot  of  the  old  mulberry  tree  must  be  cut.  It 
is  planted,  and  at  the  expiration  of  a  year,  it  will  have 
taken  root ;  afterwards  these  plants  must  be  taken  up,  and 
carried  elsewhere  to  form  rows  of  mulberry  trees.  In  this 
manner  the  mulberry  trees  are  propagated  infinitely.  But 
when  the  branches  of  the  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  are  cut  to 
feed  the  silk  worms,  their  thread  has  little  strength  and 
suppleness.  It  would  be  better  to  plant,  in  a  suitable  pro- 
portion, the  mulberry  trees  of  Kkingi;  their  leaves  are 
used  to  feed  the  silk  worms,  after  the  third  moulting, 
when  the  leaves  of  the  other  mulberry  trees  have  failed. 
[Sse-nong-pi-yong.  ] 


THE  FAVORABLE  SEASON  FOR  PLANTING. 

Attention  ought  to  be  paid  to  the  season,  and  the  quali- 
ties of  the  soil.  The  ten  days  that  precede  and  follow  the 
period  called  Tchun-feu,  (the  21st  of  March,)  and  the  whole 
of  the  tenth  month,  are  the  most  favorable  periods.  In 
the  ten  days  that  precede  and  follow  the  time  called 
Tchun-feu,  (the  21st  of  March,)  the  trees  begin  to  revive; 
for  that  reason  it  is  better  to  plant  the  mulberry  trees  then. 
This  is  done,  in  countries  situated  to  the  east  of  Lo-yang, 
in  an  extent  of  a  thousand  /£,  (hundred  leagues.)  In  other 
countries  their  seasons  ought  to  be  conformed  with.  The 
mulberry  tree  grows  easily  ;  and  its  vegetative  life  is  sus- 
pended, and  it  ceases  to  push  only  in  the  eleventh  month, 
6 


42  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

•/>•%  * 

r  /  '  •         ' 

(December  ;)    all  the  other  months  of  the  year  are  proper 
for  that  operation. 

Hemp  or  millet  seed  must  be  thinly  sown  to  give  shade 
to  the  mulberry  trees.  Every  year,  the  third  day  of  the 
third  month,  (April,)  when  the  weather  is  clear  or  rainy,  it 
will  be  easy  to  discern  the  good  from  the  bad. 


MANNER    OF    RAISING    MULBERRY    TREES. 

In  a  garden,  surrounded  by  walls,  (or  hedges,)  a  place 
well  cultivated  with  the  plough,  or  hoe,  must  be  chosen, 
and  a  square  hole,  about  three  feet  wide  must  be  opened. 

Liquid  manure  must  be  poured  there,  exactly  like  the 
dwarf  mulberry  trees  are  planted,  then  a  mulberry  tree  of 
Khing,  provided  with  all  its  branches,  must  be  taken  from 
one  of  the  squares  where  it  has  come  from  seed.  It  must  be 
raised  up  with  its  roots,  by  a  spade,  and  planted  in  the 
hole,  in  the  manner  above  mentioned  :  after  having  pressed 
and  levelled  the  earth  of  the  hole,  with  the  surrounding 
ground,  a  hill  of  light  earth  must  be  raised  above  each 
stalk,  to  the  height  of  one  or  two  feet,  and  all  around  will 
naturally  be  formed  a  circular  gutter,  (if  it  does  not  rain 
it  must  be  watered.)  When  the  trunk  of  the  mulberry  tree 
has  attained  the  height  of  a  tall  man,  the  top  of  the  tree 
must  be  cut  off,  and  the  horizontal  branches  will  then 
grow  more  rapidly.  Let  it  grow  and  extend  itself,  and 
do  not  cut  the  new  branches.  In  the  spring  they  must  not 
be  lopped,  for  after  being  cut,  for  several  years  the  tree 
will  remain  weak  and  unhealthy  ;  but  in  the  twelfth  month, 
(January,)  or  the  first  month,  (February,)  of  the  follow- 
ing year  they  may  be  pruned  without  injury. 

If  the  tree  has  been  watered  and  cultivated  in  a  proper 
manner,  in  Autumn  it  will  be  as  large,  and  as  high,  as  those 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  43 

rafters,  which  are  called  tchouen.  In  the  tenth  month, 
(November,)  or  in  the  Spring  of  the  following  year,  the 
mulberry  trees  may  be  transplanted,  and  arranged  in  the 
nursery. 

If  this  method  be  not  followed,  and  the  mulberry  trees 
are  raised  in  a  garden,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  danger  in 
transplanting  the  young  trees,  to  range  them  in  the  nursery, 
for  the  wind  and  rain  never  fail  to  kill  a  great  number  of 
them. 

The  wild  mulberry  trees  of  the  country  of  Khing,  of 
which  the  stalk  is  not  strong,  can  be  transplanted  with 
their  roots,  in  an  enclosure  where  they  will  be  cultivated 
like  those  we  have  just  spoken  of. 

They  are  to  be  cultivated  according  to  the  method  pre- 
scribed for  the  dwarf  mulberry  trees.  When  they  fyave 
pushed  forth,  the  most  vigorous  branch  must  be  left,  and 
the  others  pruned  away.  They  will  grow  to  the  height  of 
a  tall  man.  To  raise  plants  of  this  species,  the  rules  men- 
tioned above  must  be  followed. 

When  the  fruitful  influence  of  the  Spring  begins  to  be  felt, 
a  lateral  branch  of  the  dwarf  mulberry  tree  must  be  taken, 
and  cut  from  three  to  five  inches  from  the  extremity,  and  it 
must  be  bent  down  in  a  furrow  made  at  the  foot  of  the  tree. 

Many  persons  make  use  of  the  plants  of  mulberry  trees, 
others  bend  down  some  branches  in  the  ground  ;  that  de- 
pends on  the  cultivator. 

The  furrow  where  the  branch  is  bent  down  ought  to  be 
five  inches  in  depth.  The  branch  must  be  fixed  in  that  po- 
sition by  a  hooked  stake.  Two  are  required  if  the  branch 
be  short,  and  three  if  it  be  long. 

After  that  operation,  the  branches  proceeding  from  the 
buds  shoot  upwards  ;  they  then  have  the  form  of  the  teeth 
of  a  rake.  Upon  the  horizontal  branches  only  one  bud 


44  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

ought  to  be  left,  at  the  distance  of  about  five  inches,  and 
cut  off  all  the  others ;  their  leaves  will  nourish  the  young 
silk  worms. 

In  the  fourth  or  fifth  month,  (May  or  June,)  when  the 
weather  is  mild,  about  mid-day,  the  two  sides  of  the  hori- 
zontal branch  must  be  surrounded  with  rotten  pond  earth ; 
a  small  hill  above  the  branch  must  be  formed  Then  the 
horizontal  branch  becomes  a  torpid  root.  In  the  evening 
it  must  be  watered.  (During  the  night  the  torpid  root 
shoots  out  fibres.) 

In  Autumn  each  sucker  forms  a  stalk  of  the  mulberry 
tree.  In  the  tenth  month,  (November,)  and  sometimes  be- 
fore, or  after  the  beginning  of  the  next  year,  the  torpid  roots 
are  cut  at  the  two  ends,  and  taken  out  of  the  ground  ;  pieces 
about  the  length  of  a  cane,  must  be  cut,  and  thrust  in  the 
vertical  holes  made  for  that  purpose.  Each  root  produces 
a  plant  of  the  mulberry  tree. 

By  this  method  an  infinite  number  of  plants  may  be  pro- 
cured. 


MANNER    OF    PLANTING    BRANCHES. 

In  a  garden  surrounded  by  walls,  holes  must  be  dug  the 
same  as  for  the  dwarf  mulberry.  When  it  is  perceived 
that  black  eyes  commence  to  push  upon  the  branches  of  the 
mulberry  trees  of  Low,  with  large  leaves,  a  long  branch  of 
more  than  a  foot  in  length  must  be  cut,  the  two  ends  must 
be  cut  off,  and  the  place  of  the  incision  burnt. 

Plant  in  each  hole,  two  or  three  of  these  branches,  in- 
clining them  a  little.  When  the  buds  come  out,  the  stalks 
must  be  surrounded  by  a  hill  of  light  earth,  from  three  to 
five  inches  high ;  to  each  stalk  only  a  single  branch  must 
be  left.  In  the  Autumn  it  will  be  several  feet  high.  The 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  45 

following  year  the  leaves  of  the  branches  may  be  gathered 
to  feed  the  silk  worms. 

These  mulberry  trees  have  only  to  apprehend  the  effects 
of  the  mid-summer's  sun.  If  they  have  moisture,  (literal- 
ly speaking,  watering,)  and  shade,  not  a  single  one  will 
perish.  They  can  also  be  planted  in  small  squares  of 
ground,  (arranged  like  the  white  squares  of  a  draught 
board.) 

If,  in  the  enclosure,  there  are  no  branches  which  can  he 
cut,  a  mulberry  tree  of  Lou,  with  large  leaves,  must  be 
chosen  from  another  place  ;  the  required  branches  must  be 
cut  in  the  last  month,  (January,)  and  preserved  in  a  hole 
made  in  the  ground.  If  they  be  exposed  to  the  air,  they 
will  soon  wither. 

The  time  is  waited  for,  until  the  black  eyes  of  the  branch- 
es of  the  mulberry  trees  begin  to  push.  The  hole  made  in 
the  ground  is  then  opened,  and  it  will  be  perceived  that 
the  eyes,  of  the  branches  deposited  there,  have  also  pushed. 
The  two  ends  of  the  branches  must  be  cut,  the  place  of  the 
cut  burnt,  and  after  having  planted  them,  they  must  be  pro- 
ceeded with  according  to  the  rules  above  laid  down. 

The  following  is  the  manner  of  raising,  in  an  enclosure, 
the  small  mulberry  trees,  of  the  species  of  Lou  or  those  of 
Khing.  In  the  last  month,  (January,)  the  extremities  of 
the  branches  that  do  not  grow  well  must  be  cut.  When 
the  plants  are  very  small,  three  to  five  branches  near  the  top 
must  be  left,  if  they  be  rather  large,  about  ten  of  the  branch- 
es near  the  top  a  foot  in  length,  and  all  the  others  cut  off. 

In  the  following  Spring,  at  the  time  when  the  eyes  begin 
to  push,  the  plants  must  be  bared,  then  taken  up  with  the 
roots  and  transplanted  to  spacious  ground,  in  regular  lines, 
eight  yards  apart.  The  mulberry  trees  must  be  planted 
opposite  to  one  another,  leaving  between  each  plant  a  space 


46  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRV. 

/ 

of  four  or  five  yards.  The  distance  of  eight  yards  left  be- 
tween each  row  of  mulberry  trees,  will  allow  the  plough  to 
pass  through  them  in  like  manner  as  four  or  five  yards 
space  left  between  each  tree  will  allow  the  ground  to  be 
cultivated  with  a  hoe. 

This  nursery  must  be  surrounded  with  thorny  hedges.  In 
the  last  month,  the  small  scions  which  have  pushed  during 
the  year  upon  the  horizontal  branches  must  be  thinned  and 
pruned  in  an  uniform  manner.  The  following  year  the 
leaves  of  these  trees  can  be  gathered  to  feed  the  silk  worms. 
[  Nong-sse-pi-yong.'] 


MANNER  OF  PRUNING  LARGE  MULBERRY  TREES. 

The  branches  must  be  thinned,  and  above  all,  pruned  in 
time.  It  ought  to  be  done  in  order  that  the  branches  may 
acquire  strength  and  push  early,  and  that  the  silk  worms 
may  not  want  leaves. 

If  the  branches  are  cut  off.  those  that  remain  will  acquire 
strength,  and  the  leaves  will  become  thicker  and  more  nour- 
ishing. If  this  year  they  are  pruned  at  the  proper  time, 
the  long  branches  will  become  strong  and  vigorous ;  the 
leaves  of  the  next  year  will  shoot  out  early,  and  they  will 
be  thick  and  glossy. 

All  the  branches  from  the  centre  must  be  cut,  so  that  a 
man  may  stand  up  and  easily  make  use  of  the  axe.  The 
branches  and  leaves  fall  outside  of  the  tree ;  that  is  much 
better,  than  to  be  obliged  to  remove  all  around  the  tree  a 
heavy  ladder.  A  man  thus  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  tree, 
can  do  as  much  work  as  two  persons  placed  outside  of  the 
tree.  Too  many  branches  must  not  be  allowed  to  grow, 
otherwise  they  cannot  be  cut  without  hard  work  ;  moreover, 
the  leaves  will  be  thin  and  destitute  of  taste. 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  47 

Moreover,  the  art  of  properly  pruning  the  mulberry  trees, 
is  one  of  the  most  important  points  for  the  raising  of  silk 
worms.  Many  persons  do  not  know  how  to  make  before- 
hand the  necessary  preparations  when  the  cessation  of  agri- 
cultural work  gives  them  leisure.  They  only  occupy,  them- 
selves with  the  mulberry  trees,  when  the  season  of  tending 
the  silk  worms,  has  overloaded  them  with  trouble.  In  this 
manner  they  are  overcharged  with  double  work,  and  often 
the  silk  worms  want  necessary  nourishment.  If  on  the  con- 
trary, these  mulberry  trees  have  been  pruned,  according  to 
the  rules,  so  that  the  branches  can  be  easily  reached,  and  the 
leaves  obtained  with  facility,  the  silk  worms  will  not  wait 
for  their  food,  the  leaves  will  come  in  proper  time,  and, 
moreover,  they  will  be  thick  and  glossy. 

The  method  used  in  the  country  of  Thsin  is  called 
lo-sang.  In  the  last  month  of  the  year,  (January,)  all  the  su- 
perfluous branches  must  be  pruned  away,  and  those  that  are 
left  be  much  thinned  ;  afterwards  upon  the  branches  that  are 
preserved,  four  eyes  must  be  left,  and  the  others  picked  off. 
The  next  year  the  branches  that  were  left  will  have  become 
strong;  the  black  twigs  which  will  have  grown  from  the 
middle  of  the  eyes  will  be  three  feet  in  length ;  the  leaves 
will  be  twice  as  thick  as  usual,  and  will  present  a  smooth 
and  brilliant  surface.  During  the  raising  of  the  silk  worms, 
they  can  be  gathered  with  the  hand  ;  the  external  branches 
only,  that  shoot  forth,  must  be  left.  After  having  grown 
luxuriantly,  until  the  Autumn,  they  will  have  obtained  the 
length  of  eight  or  ten  feet.  In  the  last  month  of  the  year, 
(January,)  they  must  be  again  pruned,  as  before.  After 
the  expiration  of  several  years,  if  the  branches  that  have 
been  left  appear  to  overload  the  tree,  they  must  be  pruned 
at  their  base. 

This  method  is  followed  in  the  country  of  Lo-yang,  to 


48  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

the  east  of  the  Yellow  river ;  but  a  different  mode  is  adopt- 
ed north  of  this  river,  in  the  province  of  Chan-tong. 

When  the  mulberry  tree  has  attained  the  height  of  five  to 
seven  feet,  from  the  period  of  its  transplantation,  the  tops  of 
the  branches  must  be  cut.  As  the  branches  of  the  centre 
have  been  removed,  those  that  remain  will  grow  in  a  hori- 
zontal direction,  and  extend  outward.  When  the  tree  has 
become  large  and  strong,  a  man  can  stand  up  in  the  centre. 

When  the  tree  has  attained  its  maximum  of  strength  and 
growth,  the  stalk  and  the  branches  must  be  cut  in  the 
centre. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  branches  that  must  of  necessity 
be  removed. 

1st.  The  branches  inclining  towards  the  root ; 

2d.  Those  which  bend  inward,  towards  the  trunk  ; 

3d.  Those  which  grow  in  pairs ;  one  must  be  cut ; 

4th.  Those  growing  in  a  good  direction,  but  which  are 
too  thick  and  too  bushy. 

The  last  month  of  the  year,  (January,)  is  the  most  favor- 
able for  pruning :  the  month  that  follows  is  less  so.  In  the 
last  month  of  the  year  the  sap  is  quiescent,  and  the  cessa- 
tion of  labor  in  the  country  leaves  much  leisure  to  the  cul- 
tivators. Those  persons  who  prune  in  the  Spring,  only  do 
it  in  order  to  peel  them  easily,  (to  make  paper,)  but  that 
causes  the  mulberry  trees  to  lose  a  great  quantity  of  sap. 

Those  persons  who  wish  to  make  use  of  the  bark  of  the 
mulberry  tree  can  take  the  branches,  cut  in  the  last  month, 
(January,)  and  deposite  them,  with  a  southern  exposure,  in 
a  hole,  covered  up  with  earth.  They  must  be  taken  out  in 
the  second  month,  (March,)  and  they  then  peel  very  easily. 
[  Nong-sse-pi-yong.] 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  49 

METHOD  FOR  SOWING  MULBERRIES, 

The  seed  of  the  mulberry  must  be  sown  in  the  fourth 
month.  Small  beds  must  be  spaded  up,  with  a  southwest- 
ern aspect,  and  rotten  manure,  mixed  with  earth,  must  be 
spread  on  them,  then  raked  smooth  and  watered,  in  order 
that  the  earth  may  be  well  saturated  ;  afterwards  mulberry 
seed  must  be  sown.  Some  persons  mix  and  sow  them  with 
an  equal  quantity  of  millet  seed.  The  seed  being  well 
moistened  arid  softened  with  water  will  not  be  long  in 
germinating ;  and  they  will  be  soon  sheltered  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun.  Some  cultivators  sow  hemp  seed  in  ad- 
vance, south  and  west  of  the  squares.  The  young  mul- 
berry trees  are  soon  shaded  by  the  hemp,  and  are  thus 
sheltered  from  the  summer  sun.  When  they  have  attained 
the  height  of  two  or  three  inches,  they  must  be  watered  in 
dry  weather.  If  the  seed  has  not  been  sown  with  millet, 
a  small  roof  covered  with  mats  may  be  constructed  above 
the  plants.  The  mats  can  be  spread  during  the  day,  and 
rolled  up  at  night.  When  the  extreme  heat  has  passed,  it 
is  no  longer  necessary  to  shelter  the  young  plants. 

After  the  tenth  month,  (November,)  the  mulberry  plants 
and  the  stalks  of  the  millet  must  be  cut  even  with  the  ground; 
then,  at  a  favorable  time  they  are  to  be  burned  over,  and  af- 
terwards the  ashes  covered  with  manure. 


ANOTHER    METHOD. 

(  Wou-pen-sin-chou.) 

In  well  cultivated  ground,  a  bed  of  millet  must  be  weed- 
ed with  care ;  a  large  straw  rope  must  be  taken,  and  a 
piece  cut  off,  soak  the  two  ends,  (two  or  three  inches  of 

7 


60  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

each  end,)  in  flour  diluted  with  water ;  or,  what  is  still 
better,  water  in  which  rice  has  been  boiled.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  each  end  of  the  rope,  ten  mulberry  seed  must  be  in- 
serted ;  afterwards  the  rope  must  be  laid  down  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  furrow  dug  in  the  millet  bed.  The  two  ends  of  the 
rope  must  be  compressed  and  covered  with  clods  of  earth, 
then  a  light  covering  of  earth  must  be  spread  upon  the  inter- 
medial  part  of  the  rope.  One  or  two  yards  farther,  another 
piece  of  the  straw  rope  must  be  laid  down,  continuing  to 
dispose  of  the  pieces  of  rope  in  regular  lines,  in  the  whole 
extent  of  the  millet  bed.  It  will  be  proper  to  water  it  after 
a  dry  spell  of  weather.  The  tenth  month  the  millet  and 
mulberries  ought  to  be  cut  and  burnt  upon  the  place,  and 
the  ashes  covered  over  with  manure,  as  we  said  before.  In 
the  Winter  and  Spring  they  must  be  covered  with  snow, 
that  has  been  strewn  with  manure.  Before  or  after  the 
period  called  Thsing-ming,  (the  fifth  of  April,)  the  manure 
should  be  swept  away. 

During  rainy  weather  the  mulberry  trees  must  be  trans- 
planted to  proper  distances  from  one  another,  as  they  were 
sowed  in  the  squares.  This  method  saves  much  trouble  to 
the  cultivator ;  and  powerfully  favors  the  growth  of  the 
mulberry  trees,  which,  by  this  means,  gain  two  years  over 
the  others. 

If  a  person  has  any  seed  from  the  preceding  year,  it  must 
be  sown  in  the  Spring,  which  is  much  better  ;  but  afterwards 
a  small  wall  must  be  raised  to  protect  the  young  plants. 

Some  persons  fear  giving  themselves  too  much  trouble 
and  embarrassment  in  making  use  of  the  straw  ropes.  They 
mix  an  equal  quantity  of  mulberry  and  millet  seed,  and  sow 
it  in  the  half  of  a  gourd.  They*  place  it  in  a  quarter  of  the 
field  that  is  cleared  with  care. 

If  dry  weather  is  feared,  a  bed  of  the  millet  must  be  cho- 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  51 

sen,  and  good  earth  spread  there  in  an  equal  manner,  made 
in  small  squares  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  bed, 
then  water  and  sow  the  seed. 


ANOTHER    METHOD. 


Ill  the  Spring  of  the  year,  in  well  manured  ground,  trace 
regular  lines  from  the  south  to  the  west,  sow  hemp  in  an 
equal  manner.  Afterwards  mix  mulberry  seed  with  the 
dung  of  the  silk  worms,  or  with  the  seed  of  torrified  millet. 
After  rain  plough  that  portion  north  of  the  hemp  once,  and 
then  sow.  This  is  as  advantageous  as  if  a  small  roof  had 
been  constructed,  covered  with  mats,  in  order  to  protect  the 
mulberry  plants  sowed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  millet  seed. 

The  mulberry  plants  are  benefited  by  the  shade  of  the 
high  and  tufted  stalks  of  the  hemp,  without  depriving  them 
of  the  air  and  dew.  When  ten  acres  are  sowed  in  this  way 
little  labor  will  be  required  to  succeed. 

The  dwarf  mulberry  trees  are  obtained  from  the  trees 
of  Lou.  Slips  of  the  mulberry  trees  of  Lou  must  be  plant- 
ed and  cultivated,  according  to  the  rules  we  have  described 
above. 

On  the  dwarf  mulberry  tree  leave  four  or  five  branches; 
it  must  be  cultivated  with  the  spade,  and  manured.  The 
branches  not  being  very  numerous,  the  leaves  shoot  out  in 
small  quantities.  The  juice  of  a  great  number  of  leaves 
unites  in  one.  That  leaf  grows  rapidly.  That  is  called  a 
dwarf  mulberry  tree. 


MANNER  OF  PLANTING  DWARF  MULBERRY  TREES. 

In  Autumn,  in  well  prepared  ground,  a  piece  of  land  must 


52  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

be  thoroughly  ploughed  and  divided  into  small  squares,* 
which  must  be  covered  with  manure  and  vegetable  mould. 

Before  and  after  the  time  called  Tchun-fen,  (the  21st  of 
March,)  the  branches  of  the  mulberry  trees  wrhich  were 
buried  in  the  last  month  of  the  year,  must  be  taken  up. 
Those  whose  buds  have  germinated,  must  be  chosen,  and 
cut  the  length  of  seven  or  eight  inches ;  a  furrow  must  be 
dug  in  each  square,  they  must  then  be  watered,  and  laid 
down  to  be  planted ;  afterwards  cover  them  with  three  or 
four  inches  of  earth.  If  the  earth  laid  upon  them  is  too 
deep,  the  branches  will  push  with  difficulty.  The  earth 
ought  to  be  pressed  and  levelled  with  one's  hand. 

Sow  to  the  east,  south,  and  west,  of  each  square,  from 
five  to  seven  seeds  of  hemp. 

After  the  fifth  month,  (June,)  the  buds  gradually  push. 
Manure  must  often  be  added.  Some  time  after,  when  the 
branches  are  high,  these  mulberry  trees  will  have  become 
what  is  called  dwarf  trees. 

When  the  mulberry  trees  are  one  or  two  years  old  their 
sap  is  less  abundant,  and  the  stalk  is  necessarily  very  brit- 
tle. 

After  the  time  called  Tchun-fen,  (21st  of  March,)  the 
squares  must  be  opened,  with  a  spade,  the  mulberry  trees 
taken  up,  and  transplanted  to  some  other  place.  In  the 
portion  of  the  squares,  situated  to  the  north,  a  wall  of  earth 
must  be  formed,  at  the  bottom  of  which  a  hole  must  be 
made  with  a  dibble,  and  in  each  hole  pour  a  certain  quan- 
tity of  water.  Then  the  plants  of  the  mulberry  trees  must 
be  taken  and  planted,  with  the  wall  for  a  support.  The 
roots  must  be  spread  out  in  an  uniform  manner.  Afterwards 

*  N.  B.  In  another  part  of  this  book  these  squares  are  marked  like  those  of  a 
draught  board.  The  white  are  those  to  be  cultivated,  and  no  care  is  given  to  those 
parts  represented  by  black  squares.  ST.  JULIEN. 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  53 

the  root  of  the  young  tree  must  be  covered  up  again  with 
earth,  well  trampled  on.  The  earthen  wall,  and  the  earth 
of  each  square,  ought  to  be  raised  about  three  or  four  inch- 
es. In  general,  the  roots  of  the  plants,  and  small  trees 
newly  planted,  ought  not  to  be  shaken  or  agitated ;  it  is  for 
that  reason  earthen  walls  are  made,  to  defend  them  from 
the  north  wind,  and  to  concentrate  upon  them  the  rays  of 
the  sun.  At  the  present  day  it  often  happens  that  when 
the  small  mulberry  trees  are  transplanted,  having  nothing 
but  their  roots  and  fibres,  not  an  inch  of  earth  is  left.  But 
it  happens,  when  these  plants  are  transported  to  a  great  dis- 
tance, the  wind  and  the  sun  drys  up  their  vital  moisture, 
and  when  they  have  been  planted  it  is  seldom  that  they 
grow  again,  or  if  they  do,  they  never  acquire  any  vigor ; 
and  then  it  is  imputed  to  the  nature  of  the  soil,  which  is  a 
very  great  error. 

When  a  great  number  of  plants  are  dug  up,  and  which 
are  to  make  a  long  voyage  before  being  planted,  they  must 
be  placed  in  bundles  of  ten  each,  the  roots  watered  with 
liquid  dirt,  on  which  a  thick  covering  of  earth  must  be 
spread ;  then  they  must  be  carefully  enveloped'  in  grass  or 
reeds.  Before  packing  them,  compact  and  well  cemented 
white  clay  can  be  applied  around  the  earth  that  covers 
the  roots.  Then  the  plants  of  mulberry  trees  must  be 
placed  in  the  carriage-box  where  they  will  be  sheltered 
from  the  wind  and  sun.  The  stalks  must  be  covered  with 
a  straw  mat. 

Before  replanting  the  mulberry  trees,  the  square  in  which 
they  are  going  to  be  put,  must  be  spaded,  and  manured. — 
At  the  time  of  planting  them  they  must  be  watered,  and  af- 
terwards cultivated  according  to  the  rules  prescribed  above. 


54  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

THE  MANNER  OF  PLANTING  MULBERRY  TREES  IN  AUTUMN. 

Mulberry  trees  are  generally  transplanted  in  the  Spring ; 
but,  at  that  time  of  the  year  they  are  often  shaken  by  the 
wind  ;  the  rains  of  the  Spring,  joined  to  the  winds,  make 
it  difficult  for  the  mulberry  trees  to  succeed.  This  is  not 
all :  the  weather  becomes  warmer  by  degrees,  and  the  buds 
and  leaves  cannot  support  the  heat ;  from  these  causes  a 
great  number  die ;  or,  rather,  if  they  shoot  out,  a  consider- 
able space  of  time  is  required  for  them  to  acquire  strength. 
If  the  first  stalk  be  pruned  away,  a  second  will  push  more 
vigorously.  The  trees  become  flourishing  from  the  first 
application  of  the  pruning  knife.  These  happy  effects  of 
pruning  are,  above  all,  remarkable  in  the  dwarf  mulberry 
trees. 

In  the  Southern  countries  the  plants  are  planted  in  the 
tenth  month,  (November,)  but  to  the  north  of  the  Yellow 
river,  the  climate  is  extremely  cold  ;  for  that  reason  it  is 
better  to  plant  them  in  the  Autumn.  The  most  favorable 
period  for  that  operation  is  that  of  abundant  rains.  The 
squares  ought  to  be  a  foot  or  more  in  depth.  One  or  two 
inches  of  stalk  must  be  left,  above  the  level  of  the  earth, 
the  remainder  being  removed.  After  having  finished  plant- 
ing, the  earth  must  be  well  trodden  about  the  roots  of  the 
trees,  and  the  place  of  the  incision  must  be  covered  up  with 
earth.  When  the  ground  is  frozen,  spread  a  quantity  of 
manure  around  it.  After  the  heat  of  the  Spring,  a  hill  of 
earth  must  be  made  in  the  form  of  a  funnel,  or  inverted 
cone,  around  each  tree,  and  above  the  manure.  Rain  water 
may  thus  be  collected  about  the  plants;  and,  if  it  becomes 
dry,  they  can  be  watered  in  the  interior.  On  the  south  side 
of  the  plants  hemp  seed  must  be  sown  in  the  spring  of  the 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  55 

year.  By  the  time  the  rainy  season  has  set  in,  the  buds 
will  have  produced  bushy  branches.  Then  you  have  the 
dwarf  mulberry  tree. 

Some  persons  cut  the  slender  branches,  and  leave  one  or 
two  strong  ones.  The  following  year  the  mulberry  will 
become  a  tree.  Other  persons  lay  the  branches  down  in  the 
ground,  and,  in  that  manner  one  tree  produces  ten  others; 
that  method  is  better  than  if  whole  trees  were  planted. — 
These  layers  never  fail  to  succeed,  and  the  trees  they  pro- 
duce become  bushy  and  flourishing. 

In  the  tenth  month,  (November,)  the  vitality  of  the  tree 
is  suspended ;  it  is  better  to  plant  the  mulberry  trees,  by 
covering  the  top  with  earth.  The  whole  stem  of  the  tree 
must  be  cut  away,  and  planted,  as  in  Autumn. 

In  the  winter  months  the  sap  descends.  As  soon  as  the 
influence  of  the  Spring  is  felt,  they  push  together;  and,  in 
the  space  of  a  year,  the  new  shoots  will  exceed  in  height 
the  tree  which  furnished  the  cuttings  or  layers. 

When  the  mulberry  trees  of  two  years  old  are  planted, 
if  at  the  period  called  Kou-yu,  (20th  April,)  there  should 
be  some  buds  and  leaves,  showing  little  vigor,  the  bottom 
of  the  stalk  must  be  attached  to  something  solid,  and  all 
the  superior  part  removed,  only  leaving  some  inches  of 
wood,  above  the  level  of  the  earth.  A  small  hatchet  may 
be  used,  but  it  is  better  to  use  a  very  sharp  hedging  bill,  or 
pruning  knife. 

A  hill  of  earth  must  be  raised  above  the  place  where  the 
stalk  has  been  cut;  on  the  south  side  of  the  tree,  five  to 
seven  millet  seed  must  be  planted.  At  the  expiration  of 
ten  days  the  tree  will  begin  to  push,  and  small  branches 
grow  from  the  buds.  In  dry  weather  water  frequently. 
After  the  time  called  Li-hia,  (the  6th  of  May,)  this  method 


56  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

should  be  discontinued  ;  it  is  equally  impossible  to  continue 
it  in  very  hot  weather. 

In  every  month  of  the  year,  the  mulberry  trees  can  be 
transplanted,  except  during  the  time  called  Ta-han,  (which 
commences  the  2d  of  January,  and  ends  the  4th  of  Feb- 
ruary.) 


MANNER  OF  OBTAINING  LAYERS. 

After  the  time  called  Han-chi,  (the  5th  of  April,)  a  mul- 
berry tree,  more  than  two  years  old,  must  be  taken  ;  a  deep 
furrow  must  be  dug  by  the  side  of  it,  and  the  whole  body  of 
the  tree  laid  down  and  confined  in  that  position  by  the  help 
of  solid  stakes.  Small  branches,  which  have  germinated,  are 
left  above  the  surface  of  the  earth.  Cover  with  earth  the 
large  branches,  and  the  stalk  of  the  tree.  All  around  the  tree 
a  border  must  be  made,  with  the  earth,  so  as  to  form  a  kind 
of  funnel,  to  retain  the  water.  In  dry  weather  it  ought  to 
be  frequently  watered.  If  a  person  has  no  tree  fit  for  the 
operation  described  above,  they  must  be  contented  to  dig  a 
furrow  at  the  root  of  the  tree,  where  the  horizontal  branch- 
es must  be  buried,  by  fixing  them  in  the  ground,  with  the 
assistance  of  crooked  sticks.  In  the  sixth  month  the  whole 
tree  must  not  be  buried. 


MANNER  OF  PLANTING  MULBERRY  TREES  OBTAINED  FROM  LAYERS. 

Towards  the  end  of  Autumn,  when  the  cultivators  have 
much  leisure,  deep  square  holes  must  be  dug  in  advance, 
where  the  earth  preserves  its  dampness  during  the  winter, 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  57 

so  as  to  diminish  the  work,  at  the  period  when  the  ap- 
proaching new  season  requires  all  the  mulberry  trees  to  be 
planted  at  the  same  time. 

In  each  of  these  holes,  which  ought  to  be  more  than  two 
feet  square  and  deep,  spread  two  chings  (two-tenths  of  a 
bushel)  of  rotten  manure,  which  has  been  well  mixed  with 
earth.  Raise  the  ground  on  the  north  side,  and  lower  it  on 
the  south,  in  order  to  retain  the  snow  of  Winter,  and  the 
rain  of  Spring. 

In  the  last  month  of  the  year,  (January,)  take  two  or 
three  large  and  long  branches  of  the  mulberry  tree  of  Lou, 
join  them  together,  and  cut  the  lower  part;  cut  with  a 
sharp  hatchet,  and  scar  the  cut,  by  passing  it  lightly  through 
the  fire.  Bundles  are  made  of  forty-five  branches,  and  laid 
in  a  hole,  exposed  to  the  south,  care  being  taken  to  separate 
each  bunch  by  a  bundle  of  rice  straw. 

The  hole  should  be  three  or  four  feet  long,  and  as  many 
deep.  The  holes  ought  to  be  dug  before-hand,  for  fear  of 
experiencing  many  difficulties,  if  it  be  delayed  until  the 
cold  has  frozen  the  ground  to  a  certain  depth. 

Cover  these  bundles  of  branches  with  a  thick  bed  of 
earth.  After  the  time  called  Tchun-fen,  (21st  of  March,) 
they  must  be  taken  out.  Then  open  the  first  hole,  pour 
three  or  four  chings  (three  or  four  tenths  of  a  bushel)  of 
water  in,  and  sow  twenty  to  thirty  millet  seed  there.  The 
branches  must  then  be  taken  and  bent  down,  (in  the  form 
of  a  circle,)  and  tied  in  that  position  with  a  straw  rope,  and 
covered  up  in  the  middle  of  the  hole,  and  three  or  four 
inches  of  earth  put  over.  If  by  chance  the  buds  of  the 
branches  have  pushed  two  or  three  inches,  the  surrounding 
branches  must  be  covered  with  a  foot  of  earth.  The  earth 
must  then  be  well  trodden,  in  order  to  make  it  compact  and 
8 


58  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

$"•     \ 

close,  but  small  hillocks  of  light  earth  must  be  formed  above 
the  growing  buds.  Some  time  after,  when  the  buds  will 
have  acquired  a  certain  growth,  the  earth  which  surrounds 
them  will  separate  from  them.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
hole  some  hemp  seed  must  be  sown  in  advance ;  the  ground 
must  be  kept  shaded  and  damp.  Water  constantly. 

As  to  the  mulberry  trees  which  have  been  planted  by 
laying  down  the  whole  tree,  some  earth  must  afterwards 
be  spread  over  them.  The  branches  which  proceed  from 
the  buds  will  grow  rapidly  and  soon  attain  considerable 
height.  The  lateral  branches  must  be  cut,  and  after  the 
expiration  of  three  years,  these  mulberries  will  have  become 
trees.  Some  persons  who  wish  to  have  dwarf  mulberry 
trees,  cut  the  extremities  of  the  branches,  and  plant  them 
in  the  earth,  so  as  to  hide  the  top  of  the  stalk.  Two  or 
three  must  be  tied  together,  and  planted  according  to  the 
method  described  above.  Other  persons  make  a  hole  in  a 
radish  and  plant  there  a  small  bough,  which  borrows  a 
little  nourishment  and  strength  from  it ;  this  proceeding  is 
yet  more  advantageous  than  the  other.  A  small  square 
hole  is  then  dug  and  the  mulberry  tree  and  radish  are 
buried  there  after  the  method  already  prescribed. 


PLANTING  MULBERRY  BRANCHES  UPON  BEDS  OF  EARTH. 

i  r-n!:*  w)  fi'".,of>  ilt'id  J»:iJ-;  fi<i;i:.j  :  :  H  ;: 

In  the  Autumn,  well  manured  ground  must  be  prepared. 
In  the  second  month,  (March,)  it  must  be  levelled.  Form 
the  beds  high,  with  an  east  and  west  aspect,  having  between 
them  proper  distances.  The  ground  must  be  dug,  and  the 
square  holes  opened.  Then  take  up  the  branches  of  mul- 
berry trees  that  were  buried  in  the  last  month,  and  plant 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  59 

according  to  the  prescribed  rule.  Sometimes  the  strong 
and  tall  branches,  having  but  one  root,  are  planted  in  the 
same  manner. 

When  the  branches  are  planted,  in  order  to  reproduce 
mulberry  trees,  the  new  shoots  may  be  cut  largely,  if  there 
are  many  old  mulberry  trees.  But  when  there  is  but  a 
small  number,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  following  year  the 
silk  worms  will  want  food  if  the  trees  are  cut  without  dis- 
cretion. It  is  for  that  reason  we  give  here  the  best  methods 
to  direct  the  cultivator,  who  wishes  to  sow  mulberries,  to 
make  layers,  or  to  plant  cuttings ;  it  is  for  him  to  choose, 
of  these  three  methods  of  reproduction,  which  soever  may 
be  most  convenient  for  him. 

Suppose  a  village,  where  two  neighboring  cultivators  as- 
sociate their  work.  They  raise  a  small  square  enclosure, 
having  one  hundred  yards  for  each  front  of  the  nursery. — 
(If  the  inhabitants  be  numerous,  and  possess  much  land, 
the  labor  divided  between  them  will  be  still  less  for  each.) 
Each  cultivator  will  make  two  hundred  yards  of  the  enclo- 
sure, the  ground  in  the  enclosure  will  contain  ten  thousand 
yards.  At  every  three  feet  a  mulberry  tree  will  be  planted, 
which  will  make  ten  thousand  plants  for  the  whole  nursery, 
and  five  thousand  trees  for  each  family.  But  if  a  family  by 
itself  alone  can  make  an  enclosure  of  two  hundred  yards, 
the  ground  it  encloses  cannot  contain  more  than  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  yards.  If  the  rule,  indicated  above,  be 
followed,  and  the  mulberry  trees  planted  at  one  yard  distant 
from  each  other,  only  two  thousand  five  hundred  plants  can 
be  placed  there. 

When  two  cultivators  are  associated  together,  they  ought 
to  endeavor  to  avoid  all  quarrels  and  law-suits.  The  best 
way  is  to  divide  the  nursery,  in  the  middle,  with  a  live 
hedge. 


60  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

This  manner  of  cultivating  the  enclosure  is  much  more 
advantageous  than  by  a  single  person.  Thus,  at  first,  dou- 
ble the  number  of  mulberry  trees  may  be  planted ;  after- 
wards their  mutual  assistance  tends  to  lighten  a  great  deal 
the  individual  labor.  \Nong-tching-tsiouen-chou.] 

In  the  work  entitled  Sse-chi-lou'i-yao,  we  read :  When 
the  mulberry  trees  are  planted,  it  must  not  be  at  too  great  a 
depth,  otherwise  they  will  not  germinate.  When  they  have 
attained  the  height  of  one  foot  they  ought  to  be  surround- 
ed with  manure. 


TCHONG-HOA-MIN. 


Mulberry  trees  are  planted  in  the  first  and  second  months 
(February  and  March);  they  may  also  be  planted  in  the 
eighth  month  (September).  The  roots  must  be  carefully 
placed,  in  a  straight  natural  position,  and  covered  and  sur- 
rounded with  compact  earth  to  keep  them  steady.  The 
roots  of  the  mulberry  trees  should  be  watered  with  liquid 
manure ;  they  will  not  fail  to  grow  with  vigor.  According 
to  the  opinion  of  Siu-kouang-ki,  manure  must  be  used  at 
the  time  of  planting. 

When  the  mulberry  trees  are  to  be  planted,  the  ground 
must  be  weeded  and  manured.  The  pruning  of  the  stalk 
is  called  Kia. 

Near  the  base  of  the  tree  branches  of  about  one  foot  in 
length  must  be  left,  and  they  must  be  deeply  buried,  leav- 
ing only  one  inch  above  ground.  The  tree  must  be  culti- 
vated and  made  to  grow  by  watering  it.  The  place  of  the 
cut  turns  black.  It  may  be  covered  with  a  shell,  or  better 
still,  if  done  with  wax,  to  prevent  the  rains  of  the  fourth 
month  from  penetrating  the  wood,  and  rotting  it.  The 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  61 

ground  ought  to  be  manured  all  around  the  tree,  so  that  its 
roots  may  penetrate  and  extend  themselves  on  all  sides.  If 
the  foot  of  the  mulberry  tree  is  only  watered,  it  will  soon 
perish.  It  ought  not  to  be  watered  with  water  only,  liquid 
manure  should  be  mixed  with  it. 

In  two  years  after  planting,  the  mulberry  trees  will  be  in 
a  flourishing  condition.  The  part  covered  with  earth  ought 
to  be  stirred  every  month  with  the  hoe.  Some  persons  turn 
the  earth  up  twice,  to  a  depth  of  one  or  two  feet.  Then 
the  earth  must  be  moistened  with  liquid  manure,  without 
water.  The  ground  all  around  the  mulberry  trees  must  be 
watered,  so  as  to  reach  the  roots,  that  extend  to  a  distance; 
this  practice  must  be  continued  until  the  gathering  of  the 
leaves.  After  the  lapse  of  three  years,  the  mulberry  trees 
will  sprout  out  with  remarkable  strength,  If  the  vigorous 
branches  be  not  cut,  and  neither  plants  nor  shrubs  are  left 
near  the  mulberry  trees,  they  will  acquire  new  strength, 
and  the  leaves  that  will  be  gathered  for  the  raising  of  silk 
worms  will  be  luxuriant  and  healthy ;  Soon  after  the 
branches  must  be  pruned  away  where  they  unite,  and  a 
large  space  left  around  the  trunk.  Then  the  branches  of 
the  following  year  will  grow  with  more  strength,  and  the 
leaves  will  become  thicker.  If  each  year  the  superfluous 
branches  be  removed  in  this  manner,  the  others  will  become 
flourishing. 

The  silk  worms  ought  not  to  be  raised  in  the  Autumn. — 
If  they  be,  the  branches  of  the  following  year  will  be  weak 
and  delicate,  and  their  leaves  will  be  thin  and  destitute  of 
juice. 

The  roots  of  the  mulberry  trees  must  be  surrounded  with 
manure,  the  dung  of  the  silk  worms,  ashes  of  rice  straw, 
mud  of  canals,  or  with  rich  arid  fertile  earth.  But  at  the 


62  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

beginning  of  the  planting,  instead  of  the  manures  indicated 
above,  aquatic  plants  and  cotton  seed  should  be  used.  The 
roots  will  be  kept  warm,  and  the  tree  will  grow  rapidly. 

According  to  an  author  named  Siu-kouang-ki,  a  paste  of 
beans,  hemp,  or  cotton  seed,  of  hog,  sheep,  cow,  or  horse 
manure,  may  be  used. 

At  the  commencement  of  Spring  the  branches  will  grow 
with  rapidity.  The  small  dried  boughs  must  be  lopped  off. 
When  a  tree  is  low  and  small,  its  roots  must  be  opened,  and 
surrounded  with  mud  ;  without  it,  the  leaves  will  grow 
slowly,  and  they  will  become  thin  and  destitute  of  juice. 

When  the  branches  are  laid  down  in  the  ground  to  make 
layers,  they  rot  if  the  ground  is  damp  ;  but  if  the  ground  is 
warm  the  roots  soon  grow.  It  is  more  advantageous  to  re- 
produce the  mulberry  trees  by  layers  than  by  seed. 

There  is  an  insect  called  sang-nieou^  that  does  a  great 
deal  of  injury  to  mulberry  trees.  Its  nest  must  be  looked 
for  in  the  cracks  of  the  bark,  and  some  oil  of  the  tree  thong, 
(bignonia  tomentosa,)  poured  upon  it,  the  insect  is  immedi- 
ately destroyed. 

Some  persons  make  use  of  the  plant  pou-mou-tsao,  the 
leaves  of  which  resemble  those  of  the  bamboo.  This  plant 
is  boiled,  and  with  the  decoction  the  leaves  attacked  by  this 
insect  are  watered.  Leguminous  plants  may  be  cultivated 
among  the  mulberry  trees. 

The  kind  of  tree  called  yang  must  not  be  planted  in  the 
mulberry  nursery.  The  cracks  in  the  bark  give  refuge  to 
a  great  number  of  insects,  which  eat  the  epidermis  of  the 
mulberry  trees,  and  there  place  their  nests  where  their  eggs 
will  be  hatched.  Siu-kouang-ki  says  to  the  contrary,  that 
these  trees  must  not  be  banished  from  the  nursery  of  mul- 
berry trees ;  only  great  care  must  be  taken  to  destroy  the 
insects  they  harbor. 


CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY.  63 

The  mulberry  trees  of  Wang-hai  are  planted  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  white  mulberry. 

In  the  twelfth  month,  (January,)  the  ponds  must  be  open- 
ed, and  the  trees  surrounded  with  manure  ;  that  is  to  say, 
their  roots  must  be  surrounded  with  muddy  ground  In  the 
second,  and  sometimes  the  third,  sixth,  and  seventh  months, 
the  mud  with  which  the  roots  of  the  mulberry  trees  have 
been  surrounded  must  be  removed. 

The  mulberry  trees  with  rose-like  branches,  are  of  a  spe- 
cies that  grow  strong  and  high.  It  is  not.  necessary  to  prune 
them  in  order  that  their  branches  may  become  thick.  They 
ought  to  be  planted  much  sooner  than  the  others.  It  is  bet- 
ter to  plant  them  near  the  house,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to 
surround  the  roots  with  pond  mud.  It  is  only  when  these 
mulberry  trees  are  young,  they  must  be  surrounded  with 
manure,  before  winter  comes.  Some  persons  manure  them 
two  or  three  times.  The  twelfth  month,  (January,)  is  the 
most  favorable  period  for  that  operation. 

In  the  work  entitled  Nong-sang-yao-tchi  we  read  :  When- 
ever the  mulberry  trees  have  been  newly  planted,  the  branch- 
es ought  not  to  be  cut,  or  the  leaves  gathered  until  the  pro- 
per time.  The  leaves  which  grow  upon  the  long  branches 
from  the  middle  of  the  tree  must  not  be  gathered.  Leaves 
of  the  lateral  branches  which  have  not  been  pruned  must  be 
gathered,  in  order  that  the  branches  and  the  small  boughs 
may  enlarge  and  become  bushy.  Then  the  mulberry  trees 
must  be  surrounded  with  a  hedge  to  prevent  cattle  and  other 
domestic  animals  from  browsing  on  the  leaves,  and  from 
shaking  or  pulling  up  the  trees.  Afterwards,  when  the  mid- 
dle boughs  have  acquired  strength,  the  lateral  branches  may 
be  removed. 

When  the  roots  are  strong  and  extended,  the  sap  rises  in 


64  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

abundance,  towards  the  boughs  of  the  centre  ;  then  the  mul- 
berry tree  grows,  and  soon  becomes  a  strong  and  tall  tree. 
It  strengthens  every  day,  and  shows  every  sign  of  rich  ve- 
getation. 


I 

SUPPLEMENT 


TO   THE 


CULTIVATION  OF  MULBERRY 


SUPPLEMENT   TO   THE  CULTIVATION 


MULBERRY  TREES. 


GRAFTING  OF    MULBERRY  TREES.* 

In  the  work  of  Kouo-tko-tho,  we  read  :  If  a  mulberry 
tree  be  grafted  upon  the  tree  of  Kou,  its  leaves  will  be  large 
and  thick. 

OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

This  tree  is  the  same  the  modern  naturalists  call  Brous- 
sonetia  papyrifera.  The  Abbe  Grozier  speaks  of  it  in  his 
description  of  China  in  the  following  manner  : 

u  This  tree  is  so  much  more  precious  to  the  Chinese,  be- 
cause it  furnishes  them  with  a  great  quantity  of  paper,  which 
they  consume.  When  its  branches  are  broken,  the  bark  de- 
taches itself  and  peels  off  like  long  riband.  To  judge  of  the 
species  by  its  leaves,  it  would  be  thought  a  wild  mulberry 
tree ;  but,  by  its  fruit,  it  resembles  more  a  fig  tree.  The 
fruit  adheres  to  the  branches  without  a  stem  ;  it  produces 
milk  like  the  fig,  if  pulled  before  it  ripens.  Its  resemblance 

*  We  are  not  ignorant  that  the  agriculturists  of  Franca  are  very  superior  to  the 
Chinese,  in  the  practice  of  different  kinds  of  grafting ;  but  we  have  thought,  that 
we  ought  to  print  this  article,  to  presarve  the  original  text  in  all  its  integrity. 

[Sr.  JULIEN.J 


68  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

to  the  fig  and  mulberry  trees  may  be  the  cause  of  its  being 
regarded  as  a  species  of  sycamore.  It  grows  on  mountains 
and  stony  places." 


In  the  work  entitled  Sse-nong-pi-yong,   we  read  : 
It  is  advantageous  to  graft  the  branches  of  mulberry  trees 
of  Low,  (large  species  of  mulberry  trees,)  upon  stocks  of  the 
trees  of  Khing,  (Dwarf  mulberry  trees.) 

In  order  that  the  graft  may  succeed,  the  time  must  be  cho- 
sen when  the  movement  of  the  sap  draws  near,  and  with 
strict  regard  to  the  parts  brought  in  contact,  and  which  must 
be  kept  close  together  by  the  assistance  of  a  strong  ligature, 
and  enveloped  with  a  thick  plaster  of  grafting  clay  or  com- 
position, so  that  they  may  not  be  displaced  or  exposed  to 
the  frost.  The  ten  days  which  precede  the  term  called 
Tchun-fen,  (21st  of  March,)  is  the  first  favorable  time  for 
that  operation ;  the  five  days  that  precede  or  follow,  form 
the  limitation  (or  the  second  period,  which  is  less  favorable 
than  the  first ;)  but  the  most  favorable  time  is  that  when  the 
eyes  of  the  branches  have  taken  a  black  tint.  This  rule 
ought  to  be  followed  in  all  climates;  but  clear  weather  and 
a  warm  day  is  required.  If  the  union  of  the  parts  be  not 
very  close,  the  sap  will  find  great  difficulty  in  circulating 
between  the  stock  and  graft ;  if  they  are  not  bound  together 
by  a  strong  ligature,  the  wind  and  cold  will  insinuate  be- 
tween them  and  prevent  their  uniting.  The  wild  stocks 
bearing  small  fruit  of  a  disagreeable  taste,  after  having  been 
grafted,  will  produce  much  larger  fruit,  and  of  an  excellent 
flavor.  For  similar  reasons  it  has  become  the  custom  to 
graft  mulberry  trees  to  improve  the  leaves. 


SUPPLEMENT.  69 

When  grafts  are  wanted  for  use  at  a  distance,  they  must 
be  cut  in  advance  ;  and  the  favorable  season  taken  for  cut- 
ting the  branches. 

When  the  branches  stored  with  buds,  that  are  to  be  trans- 
ported to  a  distance,  are  cut,  they  must  be  enveloped  in  reed 
leaves,  and  packed  in  a  new,  unvarnished  basket,  with  dios- 
pyros  branches.  When  the  opening  of  the  basket  has  been 
well  covered,  and  the  grafts  are  perfectly  sheltered  from  the 
exterior  air,  they  may  be  transported  to  a  distance  of  a  thou- 
sand Us,  (a  hundred  leagues)  without  running  the  risk  of  be- 
ing injured  by  the  cold.  For  fruit  trees,  grafts  must  be  ta- 
ken from  the  three  year  old  branches ;  the  manner  of  pre- 
serving and  uniting  them,  (grafting,)  is  the  same  as  with 
mulberry  trees. 

Siu-kouang-ki  says  :  For  that  purpose  the  best  branches 
are  those  of  the  same  year ;  it  is  an  error  to  recommend  for 
that  object  branches  of  three  years  old.  Grafting  must  be 
deferred,  absolutely,  until  the  last  quarter  of  the  moon. — 
This  operation  may  be  performed  after  the  second  quarter 
of  the  moon,  and  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  following 
moon  ;  but  the  last  day  of  the  moon  is  much  more  favorable. 
The  time  between  the  first  and  the  second  quarter  is  unfavor- 
able ;  grafting  must  then,  absolutely,  be  abstained  from  ;  the 
time  of  the  full  moon  is  still  more  dangerous. 


CLEFT    GRAFTING. 


To  begin :  The  stock  must  be  sawed  horizontally,  at  a 
small  distance  from  the  ground.  WTith  a  sharp  knife,  with 
the  point  turned  up,  two  oblique  incisions  about  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  length,  must  be  made  right  and  left  in  the  bark 


70  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

arid  liber,  so  that,  approximating  at  their  extremities,  they 
form  an  acute  angle. 

Then  a  graft,  five  inches  long,  and  nearly  as  large  as  one's 
finger,  must  be  taken,  and  cut  in  the  form  of  a  prism  for 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  of  the  lower  end.  Warm  it  in  the 
mouth  for  a  moment,  then  insert  it  in  the  cleft  which  has 
been  made  in  the  side  of  the  stock. 

It  is  very  important  that  the  union  of  the  two  parts  should 
be  precise,  in  order  that  the  wood  and  bark  of  the  old  tree 
may  coincide  perfectly  with  the  wood  and  bark  of  the  graft, 
(which  is  destined  to  improve  or  renovate  it.)  The  same 
stock  may  thus  receive  several  cleft  grafts,  when  its  size 
will  permit. 

Take  then  fresh  cow  dung,  well  mixed  with  earth,  and 
envelope  the  graft ;  afterwards  it  must  be  firmly  wound 
round  with  green  bark  of  the  mulberry  tree.  This  is  not 
all ;  the  ligature  of  bark  must  be  covered  with  the  same 
composition  as  before  ;  afterwards  the  graft  must  be  covered 
with  five  inches  of  moist  earth  ;  finally,  thorny  branches 
must  be  placed  around  the  ball  of  earth  to  protect  the  graft. 

When  the  new  shoots  have  protruded  through  the  damp 
earth,  and  are  one  or  two  feet  in  length,  all  may  be  cut  off, 
except  two  or  three,  and  these  should  be  supported  by  props. 

Siu-kuuang-ki  says  :  The  depth  of  the  cleft  should  be 
in  proportion  to  the  strength  of  the  tree,  and  the  size  of  the 
graft.  It  is  important  that  the  bark  and  wood  of  the  graft 
coincide  exactly  with  the  bark  and  wood  of  the  stock  ;  but 
there  is  one  thing  more  important  still ;  it  is  the  perfect  cor- 
respondence of  those  parts  which  communicate  the  sap. 

When  large  mulberry  trees  are  to  be  grafted,  it  is  better 
to  use  the  cleft  graft,  or  the  graft  by  insertion.  For  the 
small  mulberry  trees,  the  best  grafts  are  those  like  the  ear  of 


SUPPLEMENT.  7 1 

a  horse*  and  by  compression,  namely,  by  budding.  When 
a  tree  is  grafted  even  with  the  ground,  it  must  be  surround- 
ed with  clayey  earth,  as  described  above,  and  if  it  be  a  cleft 
graft,  to  half  of  the  height  of  the  graft ;  the  cleft  may  be 
covered  with  paper  only  ;  afterwards  it  must  be  enveloped 
with  an  old  piece  of  mat.  Place  damp  earth  around  to 
nourish  the  graft ;  it  should  be  so  done  as  to  afford  shelter 
from  the  air  and  wind  Instead  of  a  piece  of  mat,  an  old 
earthen  vessel  without  a  bottom  may  be  used.  Water  when 
the  earth  is  dry,  to  preserve  the  proper  humidity.  Shoots 
will  soon  push  through  the  damp  earth,  which  envelopes 
the  grafted  place.  Care  must  be  taken  not  to  remove  this 
earth ;  but  in  the  Autumn,  when  the  shoots  have  acquired 
strength,  and  the  graft  is  firmly  joined,  this  earth  becomes 
useless.  As  soon  as  the  grafts  are  well  set,  and  they  par- 
take of  the  life  of  the  stock,  they  can  be  left,  if  the  strength 
of  the  tree,  and  the  number  of  horizontal  branches  permit  it. 


BUDDING  OR  INOCULATION. 


When  budding  is  to  be  performed  shorten  a  horizontal 
branch  to  within  about  a  foot  of  the  stem.  (The  length  to 
be  left,  cannot  be  rigorously  determined ;  attention  must  be 
paid  to  the  strength  of  the  tree.)  Having  selected  a  bud 
or  germ  from  the  graft,  enter  the  knife  half  an  inch  below 
a  bud,  cut  quite  through  the  bark  to  the  wood,  separating 
the  bark  to  the  same  distance  above  the  bud.  A  very  thin 
slip  of  wood  is  also  taken  with  the  bark  and  liber  bearing 
the  bud. 

Below  the  bud,  and  upon  the  wood,  there  is  a  small 

*  Query?  Whip  grafting. 


72  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

heart  (whicli  agriculturists  call  corculum)  as  large  as  a 
grain  of  rice ;  it  is  the  vital  principle  of  a  branch  or  limb. 
When  the  bud  is  cut  remove  the  wood  only  with  the  point 
of  the  nail,  leaving  the  corculum  attached  to  the  small  plate 
of  bark  and  liber. 

Moisten  the  bud  for  some  moments  in  the  mouth,  and 
then  apply  it  upon  the  horizontal  branch,  where  it  leaves 
an  impression.  It  must  be  taken  again,  and  held  in  the 
mouth ;  then  with  the  point  of  the  knife  upon  the  line  so 
impressed,  make  an  incision  or  scollop  in  the  bark  and  liber 
upon  the  stock  of  the  same  size  with  the  bud,  so  as  to  bare 
the  wood.  Then  insert  the  bud  in  the  place  prepared  for  it 
(upon  the  horizontal  branch.)  The  bud  or  germ  must  be 
turned  upwards,  that  it  is  to  say,  in  its  natural  position. 

The  grafted  parts  must  be  firmly  bound  above  and  below 
with  fresh  and  thin  bark  of  the  mulberry  tree.  The  ligature 
must  be  tied  in  a  careful  and  proper  manner.  If  it  be  tied 
too  tight,  the  circulation  from  the  stock  cannot  be  commu- 
nicated to  the  graft ;  if  too  loose,  the  two  parts  will  not  be 
sufficiently  compressed  to  adhere,  and  the  operation  will  not 
succeed. 

Cow  dung  must  be  kneaded  with  clayey  earth,  and  the 
four  sides  of  the  graft  covered  with  it,  leaving  the  bud 
free. 

The  number  of  buds  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
each  stock. 


MANNER  OF  GRAFTING  SMALL  STOCKS. 

Grafting  with  grafts  cut  in  the  form  of  a  horse's  ear, 
(that  is  to  say,  whip  grafting,)  may  be  performed.     In  the 


73 

nursery,  upon  the  young  mulberry  trees  of  Khwg,  (dwarf 
mulberry  trees,)  planted  the  preceding  year;  their  stocks 
must  be  cut  obliquely,  like  the  ear  of  a  horse,  two  inches 
from  the  ground.  Afterwards,  a  graft  of  the  same  size  is 
taken  from  a  mulberry  tree  of  Lou,  (a  mulberry  of  the 
large  kind,)  cut  it  of  a  corresponding  shape,  (t?n  oreille  de 
cheval)  and  fit  it  to  the  stock,  and  bind  them  firmly  together 
with  soft  fresh  bark  of  the  mulberry.  The  graft  must  be 
covered  with  cow  dung  mixed  with  clayey  earth,  and  the 
grafted  stock  surrounded  with  damp  ealth.  When  the  buds 
of  the  graft  have  pushed  through  the  earth,  one  or  two  can 
be  left,  and  the  others  cut.  In  the  Autumn  they  wijl  have 
attained  the  height  of  a  tall  man.  The  following  year, 
they  must  be  transplanted  to  the  plantation  to  cultivate 
them  there.  The  rules  given  above  must  be  conformed 
with.  The  graft  must  be  absolutely  of  the  same  size  with 
the  stock  upon  which  it  is  engrafted.  The  bark  and  liber 
must  coincide  exactly.  (It  is  the  most  important  point.) 

In  the  work  entitled  Wou-pen-sin-chou,  we  read  the  fol- 
lowing: 

The  fruit  of  all  mulberry  trees  improve  by  grafting. — 
Whenever  the  branches  are  to  be  grafted,  the  finest  ought  to 
be  chosen.  It  is  better  to  make  use  of  old  branches,  turned 
towards  the  sun,  (the  south.)  They  are  stronger  and  more 
flourishing.  The  young  branches  exposed  to  the  north  are 
weaker,  and  succeed  with  difficulty.  The  root  and  the 
trunk  each  follow  their  species  unchanged,  though  the 
dwarf  mulberry  tree  of  Khing  may  be  grafted  upon  the 
large  mulberry  tree  of  Lou;  the  mei  (plum  tree)  upon  the 
almond  tree,  and  the  peach  on  the  pear  tree. 

There  are  five  modes  of  grafting:  1st,  grafting  on  the 
body  of  the  tree,  (cleft  grafting;)  2d,  grafting  the  roots; 
10 


74  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY. 

3d,  the  graft  in  the  bark ;  4th,  the  graft  on  the  branches ; 
5th,  by  budding,  (scollop  grafting,)  inoculation  or  budding. 
In  the  work  entitled  1-sang-tsong-lun,  we  read : 
The  second  month  of  the  year  is  the  time  to  graft.    The 
different  methods  are,  cleft  grafting,  the  graft  by  insertion, 
scollop  grafting,  and  the  graft  by  budding  or  inoculation. 

There  is  yet  the  graft  called  houan-tsie,  or  the  graft  of 
exchange.  This  expression  is  applied  to  the  operation 
when  the  mulberry  tree  is  grafted  on  the  tree  tchu-kou,  (see 
the  commencement  of  the  article  on  grafting ;)  its  leaves 
become  thicker  and  larger. 


THE  END  OF  THE  CULTIVATION  OF  MULBERRY  TREES. 


RAISING 


SILK  WORMS 


THE  RAISING 


OF 


SILK  WORMS. 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS 


TESTIMONY  FROM  CHINESE  AUTHORS, 


WHO  SPEAK  OF  THE  CULTIVATION  OF  THE  MULBERRY,  AND  THE 
RAISING  OF  SILK  WORMS,  FROM  THE  MOST  ANCIENT  TIMES,  (4438 
YEARS  AGO,)  DOWN  TO  THE  YEAR  976  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  ERA. 

In  the  Book  on  Silk  Worms  we  read  : 

"  The  lawful  wife  of  the  Emperor  Hoang-li,  named  Si- 
ling-chi,  began  the  culture  of  silk." 

It  was  at  that  time  that  the  Emperor,  Hoang-ti^  invented 
the  art  of  making  garments. 

OBSERVATIONS  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

The  same  fact  is  mentioned,  more  in  detail,  in  the  Gene- 
ral History  of  China,  by  P.  Mailla,  in  the  year  2602,  be- 
fore our  era,  (4438  years  ago.) 

"This  great  Prince,  (Hoang-ti^)  was  desirous  that  Si- 
ling-chi,  his  legitimate  wife,  should  contribute  to  the  happi- 


78  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

ness  of  his  people.  He  charged  her  to  examine  the  silk 
worms,  and  to  test  the  practicability  of  using  the  thread. 
Si-ling-chi  had  a  large  quantity  of  these  insects  collected, 
which  she  fed  herself,  in  a  place  prepared  solely  for  that 
purpose,  and  discovered  not  only  the  means  of  raising  them, 
but  also  the  manner  of  reeling  the  silk,  and  of  employing  it 
to  make  garments." 

It  is  through  gratitude  for  so  great  a  benefit,  says  the  his- 
tory, entitled  Wai-Id,  that  posterity  has  deified  Si-ling-chi, 
and  rendered  her  particular  honors,  under  the  name  of  the 
Goddess  of  Silk  Worms.  (Memoirs  upon  the  Chinese. 
Vol.  13,  page  240.) 


It  is  written  in  the  chapter  lu-hong,  of  Chou-king,  one 
of  the  five  canonical  books  of  China : 

"  The  mulberry  trees  may  be  planted,  and  the  silk  worms 
raised." 


OBSERVATION. 


According  to  the  annals  of  China,  this  chapter  was  com- 
posed about  the  year  2205  before  Christ,  (4041  years  ago.) 
See  the  Chou-king,  translated  by  P.  Gaubil,  page  45.  [St. 
Julien.] 


It  is  written  in  the  Book  on  Worms,  one  of  the  five 
canonical  books,  chapter  Pin-fong,  ode  1  : 

"  In  the  month,  when  the  silk  worms  are  fed,  (in  the 
fourth  month,)  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry  trees  must  be 
gathered." 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 
OBSERVATION. 


79 


This  chapter  was  composed  by  Tcheou-kong,  uncle  to 
the  Emperor  Tching-wang,  about  the  year  1115  before  our 
era  (viz  :  2951  years  ago).  [St.  Julien.] 


We  read  in  the  Ld-ki,  or  Book  of  Ceremonies,  (one  of  the 
five  canonical  Chinese  books,)  in  the  chapter  Youe'i  sing : 

"  In  the  last  Spring  month,  the  young  Empress  purifies 
herself,  and  offers  a  sacrifice  to  the  Goddess  of  Silk  Worms. 
She  goes  to  the  fields,  situated  to  the  east,  and  gathers  mul- 
berry leaves  herself.  She  forbids  the  noble  ladies  and  min- 
isters' wives  all  ornamental  dress,  and  she  dispenses  with 
the  labors  of  her  waiting-women,  who  sew  and  embroider, 
so  that  they  may  be  able  to  give  all  their  attention  to  the 
raising  of  silk  worms." 

OBSERVATION. 

The  Li-ki,  (or  Book  of  Rites,)  from  which  this  passage 
has  been  extracted,  was  compiled  by  Confucius,  whose  birth 
was  551  years  before  Christ. 

The  work  we  translate  has  many  similar  passages,  which 
relate  to  the  fourth  and  eleventh  centuries  before  Christ. 
[St.  Julien.] 


In  the  work  entitled  Nong-sang-thong-kioue,  we  read  : 
"  The  place  called  kien-kouan,  (or  the  house  of  cocoons,) 
is  that  where  the  Empress  herself  raises  silk  worms.  In 
ancient  times,  there  was  a  plantation  of  mulberry  trees,  be- 
longing to  the  State,  and  a  building  called  Tsan-chi,  (or  the 
house  of  the  silk  worms,)  which  had  the  same  destina- 


80  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

tion  as  that  which  is  now  designated  by  the  expression,  ki- 
en-kouan,  namely,  the  house  of  cocoons. 

"  The  young  Empress  purifies  herself,  and  offers  a  sacri- 
fice to  the  Goddess  of  the  Silk  Worms,  as  an  example  to  the 
•whole  empire,  and  to  promote  the  general  culture  of  silk. 
The  Empress  repairs  to  a  mulberry  plantation.  She  first 
cuts  a  branch ;  an  attendant,  who  holds  a  basket,  receives 
the  leaves  of  the  mulberry  trees ;  afterwards  the  Empress 
cuts  three  branches  A  maid  of  honor,  endowed  with  the 
title  of  Chang-chou,  (or  President,)  throws  herself  on  her 
knees,  and  says :  It  is  enough.  The  attendant  who  holds 
the  basket  receives  the  leaves,  and  carries  them  to  the  silk 
worms.  It  is  forbidden  to  carry  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry 
tree  to  that  part  of  the  palace  called  Ken-chi,  or  the  golden 
house." 


In  the  history  of  the  Emperor  Hiao-wen-ti,  whose  reign 
began  in  the  year  163,  before  Christ,  it  is  observed: 

"By  a  decree  the  Empress  was  commanded  to  gather  the 
leaves  of  the  mulberry  trees  herself,  to  feed  the  silk  worms, 
and  to  furnish  the  garments  destined  for  sacrifices." 


THE  YEAR  156,  BEFORE  CHRIST. 

The  Emperor  King-ti,  made  a  decree,  and  commanded 
the  Empress  to  gather  some  mulberry  leaves  herself,  in  order 
to  set  the  example  to  the  whole  empire. 


THE  YEAR  48,  BEFORE  CHRIST. 

The  mother  of  the  Emperor  Youen-ti,  visited  the  house 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS.  81 

of  cocoons,  (or  of  the  silk  worms,)  and  followed  by  the 
Empress  and  the  ladies  of  the  palace,  she  went  and  gather- 
ed some  mulberry  leaves. 


THE  YEAR  58,  ANNO  DOMINI. 

Under  the  reign  of  Ming-ti,  of  the  dynasty  of  Han,  the 
Empress  and  her  attendants  raised  silk  worms. 


THE  YEAR  220,  ANNO  DOMINI. 

Under  the  dynasty  of  Wei,  the  wife  of  the  Emperor  Wen- 
ti,  raised  silk  worms,  in  a  place  situated  to  the  north  of  the 
city,  so  as  to  conform  to  the  ritual  of  the  dynasty  of  Tcheou. 
[Work  composed  in  the  tenth  century  before  Christ.] 


BETWEEN  THE  YEARS  265  AND  275  ANNO  DOMINI. 

Under  the  reign  of  Wou-ti,  of  the  dynasty  of  Tsin,  in 
the  years  of  Thai-khang,  the  Emperor  built  a  house  called 
Tsan-kong,  for  the  silk  worms.  The  Empress  went  her- 
self, to  gather  mulberry  leaves,  in  order  to  conform  to  the 
ancient  customs  of  the  dynasty  of  Han,  and  those  of  Wei. 


BETWEEN  THE  YEARS  454  AND  457,  ANNO  DOMINI. 

Under  the  dynasty  of  Song,  the  Emperor  Hiao-wou-ti 
had  a  house  constructed  for  the  silk  worms. 

The  Empress  gathered,  herself,  the  leaves  of  the  mulber- 
ry trees,  conformably  to  the  usa'ge  of  the  dynasty  of  Tsin. 
11 


82  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

The  author  of  the  work  entitled  Nong-sang-lhong-kioue, 
continues  to  quote  some  analagous  facts,  which  he  had 
gathered  from  the  history  of  the  Emperors,  from  the  years 
of  Thien-pao,  (from  968  to  976,)  of  the  dynasty  of  Song, 
under  which  he  lived,  so  as  to  show,  that  from  the  highest 
antiquity,  the  Empress  raised  silk  worms  as  an  example  to 
the  whole  empire. 


In  the  work  entitled  Tsan-lun,  or  Considerations  upon  the 
Silk  Worm,  we  notice  : 

"  Every  species  of  tree  requires  a  particular  soil,  except 
the  mulberry  tree  alone,  which  grows  every  where ;  and, 
consequently,  there  is  not  a  single  place  in  the  empire  where 
silk  worms  cannot  be  raised.5' 

The  book  on  worms  says,  in  chapter  Pin-fang,  (compo- 
sed about  the  year  1115,  before  Christ :) 

"  A  young  girl  takes  her  elegant  basket  and  follows  the 
concealed  paths,  to  gather  mulberry  leaves." 

By  this  passage  it  is  seen  that  silk  worms  could  be  raised 
in  the  country  of  Pin. 


OBSERVATION. 


The  country  of  Pin  corresponds  with  the  territory  of 
which  Si-gan-fou  is  now  the  capital,  of  the  present  province 
of  Chen-si,  which  is  situated  in  the  northwest  of  China. — 
[St.  Julien.] 


In  the  ode  of  Tsang-tchong-tseu,  of  the  same  work,  we 
read  :  "  Take  care  not  to  destroy  our  mulberry  trees." 

This  passage  shows  that  silk  worms  could  be  raised  in  the 
country  of  Tching. 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 
OBSERVATION. 


The  country  of  Tching  corresponds  with  the  country  of 
Tching-tcheou,  a  dependency  of  the  department  of  Kkai- 
fong-fou,  in  the  province  of  Ho-nan,  which  is  situated  in 
the  centre  of  China.     [St.  Julien/J 


In  the  ode  entitled  Tche-sin,  we  read  : 

"  The  mulberry  trees  grow  upon  steep  hills,  and  poplar 
trees  in  moist  valleys." 

This  passage  shows  that  silk  worms  could  be  raised  in 
the  kingdom  of  Tfism. 


OBSERVATION. 


The  country  of  Thsin  corresponds  to  Thai-youan~fou, 
which  is  now  the  capital  of  Chan-si.  That  province  is  sit- 
uated in  the  north  of  China.  [St.  Julien.] 


In  the  ode  entitled  Jllong,  we  observe : 

"  The  mulberry  leaves  have  not  yet  fallen  ;  they  are  fresh 
and  abundant."  (/bid.)  "  The  mulberry  leaves  become 
yellow  and  fall." 

Also,  in  the  ode  entitled  Sang-tchong  : 

"  He  made  an  appointment  to  meet  me  among  the  mul- 
berry trees." 

These  two  passages  show  that  silk  worms  could  be  rais- 
ed in  the  kingdom  of  W&. 


OBSERVATION. 


The  country  of  Wei  corresponds  with  the  territory  of 
fVe'i-hot'i-fou,  in  the  province  of  Ho-nan,  which  is  situated, 


84  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

as  its  name  indicates,  south  of  the  Yellow  river.     The  Ho- 
nan  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  China.     [St.  Julien.] 


In  the  ode  entitled  Hoang-i,  we  find : 

"  He  cuts,  he  lops  the  trees,  called  yen,  (wild  mulberry 
trees,)  and  tche,  (thorny  trees,)  the  leaves  of  which  serve  to 
feed  silk  worms." 

This  passage  shows  that  silk  worms  could  be  raised  in 
the  country  of  Tckeou. 


OBSERVATION. 


The  author  continues  to  show,  by  quotations  from  an- 
cient works,  that  silk  worms  could  be  raised  in  the  country 
of  Tcheou,  which  corresponds  with  a  part  of  the  actual  prov- 
ince of  Hou-nan,  which  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  China  ; 
in  the  countries  of  Lou  and  Thsi,  (in  the  province  of  Chan- 
tongy)  in  the  north  of  China  ;  in  the  country  of  Thsou,  (an- 
cient name  of  the  central  province  of  Hou-kouang,  of  which 
has  been  formed,  under  the  present  dynasty,  the  provinces 
of  Hou-pe  and  Hou-nan  ;)  in  the  kingdom  of  Liang,  which 
makes  a  part  of  the  actual  territory  of  Ho-nan,  a  central 
province  of  China,  and  in  the  country  of  CAo,  which  cor- 
responds with  a  part  of  the  present  territory  of  Sse-tchouen, 
a  western  province  of  China. 

The  author  thus  terminates  this  article :  "  The  five  kinds 
of  seed  may  be  cultivated,  and  harvests  obtained,  in  the 
coldest  countries  of  China  ;  further,  mulberry  trees  may  be 
successfully  cultivated  under  any  temperature  whatever." 


CONSTRUCTION 


OF   THE 


SILK  WORMS'  APARTMENT. 


In  the  Book  of  Rites,  (written  by  Confucius,  in  the  fifth 
century  before  Christ,)  it  is  observed  : 

"  The  Emperor  and  his  vassals  were  obligated  to  keep  a 
plantation  of  mulberry  trees,  belonging  to  the  State,  and  a 
nursery  for  silk  worms.  It  was  established  near  a  river  or 
brook  of  running  water  ;  its  height  was  about  eleven  cubits, 
and  surrounded  by  a  hedge  of  thorny  shrubs." 


SAME    WORK. 


Lots  were  drawn  by  the  ladies  of  the  three  palaces,  and 
the  noble-women  who  were  pure,  and  surrounded  with  hap- 
py omens,  thus  chosen,  were  sent  to  the  nursery,  to  feed  the 
silk  worms,  and  occupy  themselves  with  all  the  care  of  their 
raising. 


THSI-MIN-YAO-CHOU. 


The  windows  in  the  four  fronts  of  the  building  must  be 
opened,  and  paper  pasted  on  them,  to  protect  the  worms 
from  the  exterior  air.  In  the  interior  of  the  silk  room  fires 
must  be  lighted  at  the  four  angles. 


8(3  CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE 

SAME    WORK. 

In  the  third  month,  at  the  period  called  Thsing-ming< 
(the  5th  of  April,)  the  women  charged  with  the  feeding  of 
the  silk  worms,  are  ordered  to  prepare  their  dwelling,  and 
to  stop  up  the  holes  and  cracks  through  which  the  air  might 
penetrate. 

SAME    WORK. 

The  silk  worms  naturally  love  repose,  and  fear  loud  cries ; 
therefore,  their  house  should  be  quiet,  and  exempt  from  all 
noise.  They  love  the  heat,  and  fear  the  damp  ;  their  apart- 
ments should,  therefore,  be  constructed  of  boards.  In  a 
quiet  and  retired  house  they  will  not  be  troubled  with  the 
cries  and  clamor  of  men.  In  a  close  house  they  will  be 
sheltered  from  the  sudden  south  winds.  In  a  house  con- 
structed with  plank  they  will  be  sheltered  from  the  exhala- 
tions and  damp  vapors  of  the  earth. 


THE  BOOK  ON  SILK  WORMS. 


The  silk  worms  like  an  apartment  with  a  mild  temper- 
ature ;  on  the  contrary,  the  cocoons  should  be  kept  in  cool 
places. 


WOU-PEN-SIN-CHOU. 


The  house  of  the  silk  worms  ought  to  be  distant  from  all 
impurities,  and  every  thing  that  exhales  a  disagreeable  odor, 
such  as  stables,  cow-houses,  &c.  Care  must  be  taken  du- 
ring the  night,  that  no  light  may  penetrate  the  windows,  or 
suddenly  be  shown,  in  the  dwelling  of  the  silk  worms.  Do 


SILK  WORMS'  APARTMENT.  87 

\ 

not  extinguish,  in  the  silk  room,  paper  matches,  such  as 
emit  a  great  deal  of  smoke. 

When  the  worms  are  newly  hatched  they  fear  the  dust 
made  in  sweeping.  They  are  disturbed  by  crying  and 
weeping  ;  they  do  not  like  persons  to  come  in  their  apart- , 
ments,  who  are  not  perfectly  clean.  For  example :  A  wo- 
man who  has  been  brought  to  bed  less  than  thirty  days,  or 
who  has  her  menses. 

(That  observation  is  drawn  from  another  work  upon  the 
same  subject.) 


SAME    WORK. 


Whenever  the  silk  worms  are  raised  in  Autumn,  the  time 
of  their  hatching  is  not  distant  from  the  three  periods  called 
San-fo.  (They  fall  in  the  middle  of  Summer.)  The  heat 
(of  the  Summer)  yet  subsists,  and  as  it  occasions  a  great 
deal  of  dampness  in  the  apartments  of  silk  worms,  the  ne- 
cessary measures  must  be  taken  for  the  air  to  circulate  free- 
ly in  every  part  of  the  nursery. 


Ipl 


01  'H<;  f)iu 


CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  OVEN. 


In  the  middle  of  the  house,  a  hole  must  be  dug,  of 
which  the  size  and  depth  must  be  proportioned  to  the  di- 
mensions of  the  nurserj.  The  ordinary  size  of  this  hole 
ought  to  be  four  feet  square.  On  the  four  sides,  a  square 
brick  wall,  cemented  with  mortar,  must  be  raised  two  feet  in 
height.  COWT  dung  must  be  taken  well  dried,  and  reduced 
to  powder,  and  the  bottom  of  the  hole  must  be  covered 
with  a  bed  of  this  powder,  three  or  four  inches  thick. 
Above,  a  layer  of  small  pieces  of  dry  wood  must  be  spread, 
at  least  five  inches  in  diameter,  which  has  been  cut  in  the 
last  month  of  the  year.  Mulberry,  acacia,  elm,  or  any 
kind  of  hard  and  solid  wood  may  be  used.  Upon  these 
pieces  of  wood  spread  a  second  bed  of  dry  and  pulverized 
cow  dung.  In  the  empty  places,  between  each  piece  of 
wood,  the  pulverized  cow  dung  must  be  well  beaten  down 
so  as  not  to  leave  the  smallest  space  ;  for  if  an  empty  space 
be  left,  the  fire  will  produce  flame,  which  may  injure  the 
house,  and  besides,  this  fire  would  not  last  for  any  length  of 
time.  When  the  hole  is  completely  filled,  and  the  pulver- 
ized cow  dung,  that  covers  the  pieces  of  wood  and  fills  the 
spaces  between,  is  well  pressed  down,  a  bed  of  the  same 
matter  must  be  spread  on.  Seven  or  eight  days  before  the 
hatching  of  the  silk  worms,  live  coals  must  be  put  on  the 
dry  cow  dung  and  covered  over  with  hot  ashes. 

The  dry  cow  dung  takes  fire,  and  emits  for  six  or  seven 
12 


90  ON  REARING 

days  a  black  and  yellow  smoke.  One  day  before  the 
hatching  of  the  silk  worms,  the  door  must  be  opened  to 
dissipate  the  smoke,  then  carefully  shut.  From  that  mo- 
ment the  wood  and  the  dry  cow  dung  are  completely  on 
fire,  to  the  bottom  of  the  hole. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  young,  they  like  the  heat  and 
fear  the  smoke,  consequently  a  bright  fire  must  not  be  made; 
moreover,  a  smart  fire  sometimes  burns  with  force,  and 
sometimes  suddenly  goes  out ;  it  cannot  constantly  spread 
an  equal  and  uniform  heat.  But  when  the  fire  we  recom- 
mend is  once  well  lighted,  it  does  not  produce  any  smoke, 
and  it  can  be  preserved  for  one  or  two  months  without 
being  extinguished,  or  diminished.  A  mild  heat  is  expe- 
rienced without  its  being  perceived  that  there  is  fire  in  the 
apartment  But  if  small  branches  be  burnt,  they  will  pro- 
duce a  smoke  that  will  be  spread  throughout.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  construct  on  the  edges  of  the  hole,  a  small  square 
wall  of  bricks,  about  two  feet  high,  so  that  the  heat  may 
ascend  and  penetrate  to  the  middle  of  the  apartment,  and 
spread  there  in  an  equal  manner.  This  wall  will  serve 
to  prevent  those  persons  who  move  round  the  silk  room  at 
night,  from  falling  unawares  into  the  hole.  The  house 
being  constructed  of  dry  and  proper  materials  to  receive  the 
heat,  the  partition  walls  will  soon  become  warm.  The 
smoke  proceeding  from  the  pulverized  cow  dung,  suffocates 
all  the  insects  which  might  injure  the  silk  worms. 

Cow  dung  diffuses  a  wholesome  smell  in  the  apartment 
of  the  silk  worms. 

OBSERVATION  OF  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

The  surface  of  the  hole  ought  to  be  covered  with  square 

'     i 


SILK  WORMS.  91 

tiles,  pierced    with  holes,  to  facilitate  the  escape  of  the 
heat. 


The  old  paper  employed  to  cover  the  windows,  must  be 
replaced  by  white  and  perfectly  clean  paper.  For  fear  the 
heat  will  escape,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  raise  the  win- 
dow shutters,  or  the  straw  mats  from  the  windows,  or  the 
doors,  during  the  time  (he  old  paper  is  being  pulled  off, 
and  new  pasted  on.  At  the  top  of  each  window,  place 
four  large  window  blinds,  or  screens,  of  firm  texture.  They 
must  be  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  roll  up  or  unroll 
when  wanted.  (Sse-nong-pi-yong.)  ( 

NONG-SANG-THONG-KIOUE. 

When  a  nursery  is  wanted,  for  the  silk  worms,  a  house 
must  be  constructed,  exposed  to  the  south.  Above  all,  a 
smooth  and  agreeably  situated  place  must  be  chosen.  The 
best  exposure  is  that  exactly  to  the  south  ;  that  of  the 
south  west  is  not  so  good,  that  of  the  east  still  less  so. 

If  the  house  is  old,  it  must  be  swept  with  a  great  deal  of 
care,  and  plastered  a  long  time  before  it  will  be  wanted. 
If  it  is  done  a  short  time  before  the  hatching  of  the  silk 
worms,  the  partition  walls  will  preserve  a  dampness  which 
will  be  fatal  to  them.  Some  persons  cover  the  house  with 
tiles,  others  with  thatch.  Timber  and  wood  work  must  be 
plastered  within  and  without  to  prevent  the  danger  of  fire, 
In  the  nursery,  pillars  must  be  placed,  furnished  with  cross 
pieces,  to  receive  the  frames.  The  windows  must  have 
a  large  opening,  to  admit  sufficient  light  to  distinguish  the 
sleeping  and  the  awakening  of  the  silk  worms.  Above  the 


92  ON  REARING 

shelf,  small  dormer  windows  should  be  opened,  to  increase 
the  light  of  the  morning  and  evening,  when  required. 

Even  with  the  ground,  pipes,  or  air  conductors,  commu- 
nicating with  the  outside,  must  be  placed  at  regular  distan- 
ces, and  arranged  so  that  they  can  be  opened  and  shut 
easily.  They  will  serve  to  dissipate  dampness,  or  to  expel 
dangerous  effluvia. 


SAME    WORK. 


When  persons  wish  to  raise  silk  worms,  they  must  at 
first  open  a  room,  situated  to  the  east,  to  feed  the  newly 
hatched  silk  worms.  They  must  be  taken  from  this  room 
before  and  after  their  second  moulting.  The  window  turned 
to  the  west,  must  be  shut  with  care,  because  the  rays  of  the 
setting  sun  are  particularly  injurious  to  the  silk  worms. 
The  south  west  wind  is  very  dangerous  for  the  silk  worms. 
A  row  of  trees,  four  to  five  feet  distant,  must  be  planted  on 
the  outside  so  as  to  shelter  them. 

The  author  here  employs  many  words  to  indicate  the 
place  of  the  idols,  and  the  practices  of  devotion,  which  must 
be  followed  for  the  success  of  the  nursery. 


SAME    WORK. 


When  persons  wish  to  feed  the  newly  hatched  silk  worms, 
they  must  as  first  open  a  room  with  an  eastern  aspect.  At 
the  four  angles,  concave  niches  must  be  constructed,  (small 
stoves)  arranged  like  the  three  stars  of  the  constellation  of 
the  heart,  that  is  to  say,  in  triangularly,  in  order  to  distri- 
bute the  heat,  in  a  uniform  manner.  The  author  adds,  that 
the  smallness  of  the  room  allows  it  to  be  easily  warmed. 


SILK  WORMS.  93 

NONG-SANG-THSIOUEN-CHOU.  \ 

When  the  silk  worms  are  about  hatching,  they  require 
an  extreme  heat;  at  that  time  the  air  Is  still  cold.  After 
the  third  sleep  (or  the  third  moulting,)  the  silk  worms  re- 
quire coolness.  At  that  period  the  air  is  warm.  Besides 
the  wind,  rain,  dull,  and  clear  weather  often  comes  on  un- 
expectedly ;  the  temperature  of  the  morning  and  evening, 
that  of  the  day  and  night,  undergoes  great  changes.  If 
under  these  circumstances,  the  proper  measures  are  not 
taken,  the  silk  worms  soon  become  sick.  But  all  these 
changes  of  the  atmosphere  may  be  guarded  against,  if  the 
rules  we  have  described,  above  be  faithfully  followed. 

All  around  the  nursery,  (that  is  to  say,  at  each  window,) 
window  blinds  must  be  placed,  which  can  be  rolled  up  and 
unrolled  at  will.  In  the  middle  of  the  room,  a  fire  must  be 
lighted  under  ground.  If  the  silk  worms  require  heat,  and 
the  external  air  be  cold,  the  mats  that  cover  the  windows 
must  be  let  down,  and  the  heat  disseminated  throughout 
the  nursery.  Then  the  cold  from  without  cannot  penetrate 
there,  and  a  mild  temperature  is  enjoyed  throughout.  But 
if  it  be  rigorously  cold,  it  will  be  impossible  to  warm  the 
apartment,  even  by  opening  the  doors  of  the  oven  ;  clods  of 
dry  dung  must  be  lighted  on  the  outside,  and  when  they 
are  set  on  fire,  and  produce  no  smoke,  they  must  be  placed 
at  the  four  angles  of  the  silk  room.  Soon  a  mild  heat  will 
be  spread  throughout ;  and  as  soon  as  the  cold  is  dimin- 
ished the  rest  of  the  burning  lumps  must  be  carried  away. 

When  the  silk  worms  require  cooling,  and  the  exterior 
air  is  warm,  the  openings  of  the  heated  pipe  must  be  shut, 
and  the  window  blinds  raised  up;  then  the  interior  heat 
moderates,  and  the  fresh  air  from  without  penetrates  the 


94  ON  REARING. 

nursery.  If  it  be  sultry,  it  will  not  be  sufficient  to  raise  up 
all  the  window  blinds  to  dissipate  the  heat.  The  paper 
must  then  be  removed  from  the  windows,  the  small  dormer 
windows  of  the  roof  must  be  opened,  and  the  air  conduc- 
tors also,  which  are  even  with  the  ground,  and  fresh  water 
must  be  sprinkled  outside  of  the  windows,  and  about  the 
bottom  of  the  sash.  A  cool  air  will  soon  circulate  in  every 
part  of  the  nursery. 

When  that  sultry  heat  is  dissipated,  the  paper  must  be 
again  pasted  on  the  windows,  and  the  air  pipes  stopped  up. 
In  this  manner  the  silk  worms  are  neither  incommoded 
with  the  heat  nor  cold,  from  the  commencement  to  the 
end  of  the  season.  They  have  very  little  sickness  among 
them,  and  the  cocoons  are  as  good  as  may  be  desired. 
It  is  by  observing  these  proceedings  that  all  the  success 
of  the  raising  of  silk  worms  depends.  But  the  cool  air 
must  not  be  suddenly  replaced  by  warm  ;  the  fire  must  be 
increased  gradually.  If  the  cold  rapidly  succeeds  to  heat, 
the  silk  worms  will  become  yellow  and  soft.  When  it 
is  too  warm,  a  cool  air  must  not  be  introduced  suddenly 
in  the  nursery  ;  the  windows  should  be  opened  by  degrees. 
That  precaution  is  necessary,  for  if  the  heat  be  suddenly 
replaced  by  a  cool  air,  the  silk  worms  will  turn  white  and 
die.  It  is  a  serious  danger,  which  should  be  known  before- 
hand, in  order  to  remove  the  causes  which  give  rise  to  it. 


ON   BATHING 

THE  EGGS  OF  SILK  WORMS. 


The  old  Dictionary  Eul-ya,  says  there  are  three  kinds  of 
insects  which  form  cocoons:  1st,  the  Siang,  or  the  silk 
worms  fed  on  mulberry  leaves ;  2d,  the  Tcheou-iu,  those 
fed  on  leaves  of  the  jujube,  and  trees  called  hoa  and  louan  ; 
3d,  the  Hang,  which  is  fed  on  leaves  of  the  plant  called 
siao. 

In  the  chou-king,  (one  of  the  canonical  Books  of  the 
Chinese,)  it  is  written  :  "  The  first  day  of  the  moon,  of 
the  last  Spring  month,  the  Prince's  wife  washes  the  eggs 
of  the  silk  worms  in  the  river." 


ABRIDGED  HISTORY  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  OU. 

In  the  district  of  Nan-yang,  the  silk  worms  form  cocoons, 
eight  times  a  year. 


KOUANG-TCHI. 


There  are  several  varieties  of  silk  worms,  the  autumn, 
winter,  and  wild  silk  worms. 


96  ON  REARING 

YONG-KIA-KI. 

In  the  district  of  Yong-kia,  there  exist  eight  species  of 
the  silk  worm  : 

1st.  The  silk  worms  called  Hang-tckin-tsan,  form  their 
cocoons  in  the  third  month,  (April.) 

2d.  The  silk  worms  called  Tche-tsan,  that  is  to  say, 
worms  which  are  fed  with  the  leaves  of  the  tree  tche,  form 
their  cocoons  at  the  commencement  of  the  fourth  month, 

(May.). 

3d.  The  silk  worms  called  Hang-tsan,  form  their  cocoons 
in  the  fourth  month,  (May.) 

4th.  The  silk  worms  called  Ai-tchin-tsan,  that  is  to  say, 
cherished  and  precious  silk  worms,  form, their  cocoons  in 
the  fifth  month,  (June.) 

5th.  The  silk  worms  called  Ai-tsan,  or  cherished  silk 
worms,  form  their  cocoons  towards  the  end  of  the  sixth 
month,  (July.) 

6th.  The  silk  worms  called  Han-tchin-tsan,  that  is  to  say, 
cold  and  precious  silk  worms,  form  their  cocoons  in  the  sev- 
enth month,  (August.) 

7th.  The  silk  worms  called  Sse  tchou-tsan,  that  is  to  say, 
silk  worms  from  a  fourth  laying  of  eggs,  form  their  co- 
coons at  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  month,  (October.) 

8th.  The  silk  worms  called  Han  tsan,  that  is  to  say,  cold 
silk  worms,  form  their  cocoons  in  the  tenth  month,  (Novem- 
ber.) 

In  the  same  work  we  read  : 

All  the  silk  worms  of  the  first  kind,  which  mature  twice 
a  year,  (that  is  to  say,  those  that  lay  eggs  for  a  second  pro- 
geny the-  same  year,)  are  called  Tchin-tsan,  that  is  to  say, 


SILK  WORMS.  97 

precious  silk  worms.     There  are  few  persons  that  raise  silk 
worms  called  precious. 

The  worms  of  the  fifth  class,  called  Ai-tsan,  or  cherish- 
ed silk  worms,  proceed  from  the  eggs  of  the  worms  of  the 
third  class,  anciently  called  Hang-tsan. 

When  the  silk  worms  (of  the  first  class)  called  Hang- 
tchin,  have  formed  their  cocoons,  in  the  third  month,  (April,) 
the  moths  appear,  and  their  eggs  must  be  collected.  In  the 
seventh  and  eighth  month,  the  eggs  open,  and  the  moths 
are  hatched.  A  great  number  of  persons  raise  this  species 
of  silk  worm.  They  are  called  Hang-tsan,  or  silk  worms 
of  the  third  class. 

When  silk  worms  called  Ai-tsan,  or  cherished  silk  worms, 
(of  the  fifth  class,)  are  wanted,  eggs  of  the  worms  of  the 
third  class,  called  Hang-tchin,  must  be  taken,  and  put  in  an 
earthen  vessel,  the  dimensions  of  which  should  be  in  propor- 
tion to  the  quantity  of  eggs  that  are  required  to  be  preserved. 
The  opening  of  the  vessel  must  be  stopped  up  with  paper, 
then  the  vessel  must  be  placed  in  a  basin,  filled  with  spring 
water,  in  order  that  the  cool  air  may  delay  the  hatching  of 
the  eggs.  Thus  the  eggs  must  be  left  from  three  to-  seven 
days ;  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  they  hatch,  and  the 
silk  worms  can  be  raised.  They  are  called  Ai-tchin,  or 
cherished  and  precious  silk  worms ;  they  are  also  named 
Ai-tseu,  or  beloved  children.  They  are  of  the  fourth  class. 

When  they  have  formed  their  cocoons,  the  moths  come 
forth  and  lay  their  eggs.  Seven  days  after  the  laying  of 
eggs,  they  hatch  and  become  silk  worms.  A  great  number 
of  persons  raise  worms  of  that  kind.  They  are  the  worms 
of  the  fifth  class,  called  Ai-tsan>  or  cherished  silk  worms. 

Care  must  be  taken  that  the  water  surrounding  the  vase 
be  of  the  height  of  the  eggs  it  contains  ;  for,  if  the  exterior 
13 


98  ON  REARING 

water  be  raised  above  the  line  of  the  eggs,  they  will  die,  or 
not  be  hatched.  If  the  exterior  water  be  lower  than  the 
eggs,  then  they  will  not  feel  the  cool  air,  and  their  hatching 
will  not  be  delayed.  If  their  hatching  be  not  prevented, 
they  cannot  be  preserved  from  three  to  seven  days  in  the 
vase.  If  they  cannot  be  kept  from  three  to  seven  days  in  the 
vessel,  when  they  hatch,  they  will  fail  to  accomplish  their 
task,  that  is  to  say :  they  will  attempt,  in  vain,  to  spin  their 
cocoon.  When  the  moths  have  come  forth,  and  the  females 
have  laid  their  eggs,  they  cannot  hatch  at  the  end  of  seven 
days ;  these  eggs  will  not  hatch  until  the  following  year ; 
but  they  must  be  deposited  under  the  shade  of  a  bushy  tree. 
Some  persons  put  them  in  unbaked  earthen  vessels.  They 
hatch  in  from  three  to  seven  days,  and  the  worms  which 
proceed  from  them  succeed  in  forming  a  good  cocoon. 


TSA-HOTJ-HING-CHOU. 

Thirteen  varieties  of  silk  worm  are  now  distinguished : 

1st.  The  silk  worms  which  have  three  moultings,  and 
only  hatch  once ; 

2d.  The  silk  worms  which  have  four  moultings,  and 
hatch  twice ;  that  is  to  say :  those  whose  eggs  produce  a 
second  crop  in  the  same  year ; 

3d.  The  silk  worms  with  white  heads; 

4th.  The  silk  worms  called  Hie-chi-tsan ; 

5th.  The  silk  worms  of  the  country  of  Thsou.  ( Thsou 
is  the  ancient  name  of  the  present  province  of  Hou- 
kouang.) 

6th.  The  black  silk  worms ;  among  them,  some  hatch 
once,  others  twice.  (See  2d ;) 


:l 


SILK  WORMS.  99* 

7th.  Ash  colored  silk  worms; 

8th.  The  silk  worms  hatched  from  an  Autumn  moth ; 

9th.  The  silk  worms  hatched  in  the  middle  of  Autumn ; 

10th.  The  silk  worms  called  Lao-thsieou-eul-tsan,  (lit- 
erally, old  towards  Autumn  ;) 

llth.  Silk  worms  of  the  last  of  Autumn,  called  Lao- 
hitii-eul-tsan ; 

12th.  Silk  worms  called  Kin-eul-tsan ; 

13th,  Silk  worms  that  work  in  the  same  cocoon.  Some- 
times two,  sometimes  three  silk  worms,  spin  together  in  the 
same  cocoon. 

In  general,  the  silk  spun  by  the  worms,  which  moult 
thrice,  differs  much  from  that  of  the  worms  which  moult 
four  times. 


HAI-NING-HIEN-TCHI. 


On  the  night  preceding  the  period  called  tsing-ming,  (the 
5th  of  April,)  those  who  raise  silk  worms  envelop  the  eggs 
in  a  covering  of  cotton,  and  place  it  under  them,  in  their 
bed ;  they  think  the  natural  heat  of  the  human  body,  has- 
tens the  hatching  of  the  silk  worms. 


SAME    WORK. 


The  twelfth  day  of  the  last  moon  of  the  year  (that  is  to 
say,  at  the  end  of  December,  or  in  the  month  of  January, 
when  there  is  an  intercalary  moon,)  all  those  who  raise 
silk  worms  bathe  the  eggs  in  salt  water,  expose  them  to  the 
fumigations  of  the  melongena,  and  envelop  them  in  a 
piece  of  rice  ball.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  days  they 


100  ON  REARING 

take  them  out ;  they  afterwards  wash  them  in  fresh  water, 
and  wait  for  the  coming  of  Spring. 


SSE-NONG-PI-YONG. 


The  summer  silk  worms  are  of  another  species ;  they 
are  vulgarly  called  San-tsan,  or  third  silk  worms. 

The  silk  worms  which  are  raised  in  the  Spring,  lay  eggs 
for  the  Summer  ;  those  that  are  raised  in  Summer,  lay  eggs 
for  the  Autumn  ;  those  of  the  Autumn,  lay  eggs  for  the 
Spring  of  the  following  year.  None  of  these  eggs  must 
be  neglected,  for  otherwise  eggs  will  he  wanted  for  the 
next  raising. 


SAME  WORK. 


The  silk  worms  of  Autumn,  are  also  called  Yuuen-tsan, 
that  is  to  say  :  second  silk  worms,  or  silk  worms  of  a  second 
rearing.  But  in  gathering  the  leaves  to  feed  them,  they 
never  fail  to  injure  the  tree.  It  sometimes  happens,  that 
some  misfortune  from  heaven  destroys  the  Spring  silk 
worms,  the  raising  of  the  Autumn  silk  worms  cannot  be 
dispensed  with,  but  must  be  done  to  repair  the  loss.  But 
the  late  crops  are  surer  and  more  advantageous  than  those 
of  the  commencement  of  the  year. 

Siu-kouang-ki,  says  :  "  The  men  of  the  present  day  do 
not  raise  the  Autumnal  silk  worms ;  they  are  contented  to 
preserve  the  eggs  of  the  Summer  for  the  crop  of  the  follow- 
ing Spring.  They  succeed  equally  well." 

The  same  author  again  says  :  "  It  is  a  very  just  idea  to 
say,  the  Autumn  silk  worms  serve  to  repair  the  losses 


-J 

SILKWORMS.  101 

which  may  have  been  experienced  in  the  Spring,  and  to 
supply  the  wants  of  the  year.  In  the  Autumn  there  are 
many  fine  days ;  consequently,  the  raising  at  that  time  pro- 
mises more  certain  success,  than  that  of  the  Spring.  But 
now-a-days  we  meet  with  people  who  say  :  the  Autumnal 
silk  worms  can  no  longer  find  tender  leaves.  We  see  that 
they  are  totally  ignorant  of  the  powerful  reasons  which  may 
oblige  them  to  attempt  a  rearing  in  Autumn,  from  the  neces- 
sity of  sometimes  repairing  the  losses  which  have  been 
experienced,  and  of  supplying  the  wants  of  the  year.  When 
the  silk  worms  are  raised  in  the  Summer,  or  Autumn,  care 
must  be  taken  to  preserve  them  from  the  gnats  and  flies." 

SAME    WORK. 

After  the  period  called  Thsing-ming,  (after  the  5th  of 
April,)  the  eggs  commence  to  change.  At  first  they  assume 
an  uniform  colour,  and  swell  up;  afterwards  they  grow 
round  and  present  a  pointed  side.  Their  centre  resembles 
the  colour  of  willow  trees,  in  the  beginning  of  Spring.  At 
last  they  are 'transformed  into  worms,  which  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  small  black  ants.  The  worms  which  fold 
themselves  in  a  circular  manner,  and  resemble  a  mountain 
that  is  seen  at  a  distance,  are  those  which  must  absolutely 
be  preserved  ;  but  those  with  flat  heads,  which  are  dry,  and 
appear  as  if  they  were  burnt,  as  well  as  those  of  a  sky-blue, 
and  yellow,  or  flesh  color,  must  not  be  raised. 


SAME  WORK. 


Some  persons  water  the  eggs  with  salt  water.     That 
operation  is  called  sien-tsan^  that  is  to  say,  baths  of  the  silk 


102  ON  REARING 

j 

worms.      The  eggs   thus  washed,   produce  the   best  silk 
worms. 

The  worms  of  which  the  eggs  were  not  washed,  are 
called  Ho-tsan,  that  is  to  say,  ardent  silk  worms,  (they  are 
those  of  Autumn.)  They  are  less  esteemed  than  the  pre- 
ceding. 

In  the  work  entitled  Sang-tsan-tchi-choue,  we  read : 
"  Those  who  wish  the  eggs  to  hatch  quickly,  often  unfold, 
and  roll  up  one  by  one,  the  leaves  of  the  paper  where  the 
moths  have  deposited  their  eggs.  (This  paper  should  be 
manufactured  of  cotton,  or  the  bark  of  mulberry  trees. 
According  to  the  ideas  of  the  Chinese,  they  banish  from 
the  nurseries  every  thing  made  of  hemp ;  for  example : 
ropes  and  hempen  cloth.  Our  European  paper  would  be 
very  injurious  to  silk  worms.)  Those  who  wish  to  retard 
the  hatching,  unfold  the  leaves  at  distant  intervals,  and 
afterwards  roll  them  in  a  tight  manner,  without  leaving  the 
least  empty  space  in  the  centre  of  the  roll." 


HOANG-SING-TSENG,  SAYS 


The  twelfth  day  of  the  last  moon,  in  December,  or  in 
January,  if  there  is  one  intercalary  month,  the  eggs  must  be 
soaked  in  salt  water,  and  taken  out  the  twenty-fourth  day. 
Then  the  silk  will  be  much  easier  to  wind. 


ANOTHER  AUTHOR,  SAYS  : 


The  eighth  day  of  the  last  moon,  the  leaves  covered  with 
eggs  must  be  dipt  in  water  where  the  ashes  of  the  mulberry 
branches  have  been  boiled,  or  the  ashes  of  grass.  They 


SILKWORMS.  103 

must  be  taken  out  at  the  expiration  of  one  clay.  The 
twelfth  day  of  the  second  moon,  a  bath  must  be  given  to 
the  eggs,  on  the  morning  of  the  period  called  Thsing-ming ; 
then  they  must  be  wrapped  up  in  cotton  paper,  and  deposit- 
ed in  the  kitchen.  Wait  until  the  mulberry  leaves  are  as 
large  as  a  tea-spoon,  then  envelop  the  eggs  in  cotton : 
at  night  they  must  be  covered  with  warm  garments  which 
have  been  worn  during  the  day  ;  in  the  morning  they  must 
be  wrapped  in  blankets.  When  the  eggs  are  hatched,  the 
worms  must  be  warmed  by  artificial  heat ;  but  so  long  as 
they  are  not  out  of  the  egg,  they  ought  to  be  well  taken 
care  of,  and  hatched  by  the  heat  of  fire. 

When  it  is  desirable  to  soak  the  leaves  of  paper,  covered 
with  eggs,  the  ashes  of  the  mulberry  tree  must  be  used  ; 
the  leaves  should  be  moistened,  and  powdered  with  the 
ashes.  Afterwards  they  must  be  rolled  and  soaked  in  the 
water  where  a  certain  quantity  of  salt  has  been  dissolved. 
If  it  be  apprehended  that  the  rolls  of  paper  will  swim,  they 
must  be  kept  in  submersion,  by  placing  them  under  a  china 
plate.  The  paper  ought  to  be  taken  out  the  twenty-fourth 
day. 

The  leaves  must  be  washed  in  running  water,  to  remove 
the  ashes,  or  they  may  be  washed  in  a  basin.  Afterwards 
they  can  be  newly  hung  up  in  the  cool  air,  and  the  eggs 
hatched  in  the  beginning  of  Spring.  If  part  of  the  eggs  do 
not  hatch,  they  must  be  kept  in  darkness,  and  nothing  more 
is  to  be  feared  from  a  useless  expense  of  leaves. 

The  twelfth  day  of  the  second  moon,  leaves  of  plants 
called  thsai  and  ye-thsa'i,  blossoms  of  the  leek,  peach  tree, 
and  white  beans,  must  be  taken.  They  must  be  crushed  in 
water,  and  afterwards  the  leaves  must  be  bathed  in  it. 

When  the  females  lay  eggs,  they  generally  stop  at  the 


104  ON  REARING 

end  of  one  night.     In  the  contrary  case,  the  silk  worms 
produced  by  their  eggs,  cannot  all  hatch  together. 

«rtX 

SAME  WORK. 

Many  persons  preserve  the  eggs  of  the  silk  worms,  in 
bamboo  boxes,  when  they  are  exposed  to  all  the  changes  of 
the  damp,  tepid,  hot,  or  burning  weather.  If  they  are  sub- 
jected, suddenly,  from  cold  to  excessive  heat,  they  are  affected 
by  it  in  a  fatal  manner.  The  inhabitants  of  the  province 
of  Tche-kiang,  call  that  Tching-pou.  That  expression  im- 
plies, that  the  silk  worms  contract  a  disease,  when  they  are 
in  the  egg,  (literally,  on  the  linen  cloth,  or  on  the  leaves 
of  paper.)  The  worms  of  those  eggs  are  yellow  when 
hatched :  the  worms  hatched  of  a  yellow  colour,  are  not 
worth  the  trouble  of  raising.  They  may  be  compared  to  a 
child  who  has  contracted  a  disease  in  the  womb.  At  its 
birth,  it  is  weak  and  feeble.  It  is  difficult  to  cure  it  of 
this  innate  disease.  In  general,  when  one  wishes  to  pre- 
serve the  eggs  of  the  silk  worms,  the  leaves  must  be  spread 
on  bamboo  boards,  making  it  so  as  not  to  be  exposed  to  the 
wind  or  sun.  Moreover,  they  must  be  covered  with  a  silk 
cloth  to  prevent  butterflies,  or  insects  from  the  cotton  plant, 
eating  them. 

Much  snow  may  be  expected  about  the  first  day  of  the 
last  moon,  it  may  be  in  the  course  of  the  last  moon.  Leaves 
covered  with  eggs  are  spread  in  the  midst  of  the  snow. 
After  one  day  they  must  be  taken  up,  and  newly  spread  on 
bamboo  boards,  and  covered  as  before  with  a  silk  cloth. 

When  Spring  comes,  the  precise  time  when  the  eggs  are 
about  hatching  must  be  attentively  observed ;  powdered 
cinnabar,  must  be  taken,  diluted  in  luke  warm  water,  and 


SILK  WORMS.  105 

the  eggs  dipped  in  that  water.  The  water  should  be  nei- 
ther too  cold  nor  too  warm  ;  it  ought  to  be  kept  at  the  tem- 
perature of  the  human  body. 


SAME    WORK. 


Before  the  worms  are  hatched,  the  eggs  should  be 
weighed,  and  the  weight  written  on  the  back  of  the  paper 
to  which  they  are  attached.  When  the  silk  worms  are 
hatched,  take  care  not  to  separate  them  from  the  paper. 
There  are  many  persons,  who  as  soon  as  they  see  the 
worms  hatch,  detach  them  from  the  paper,  with  a  small 
broom  or  quill ;  but  these  little  beings,  as  delicate  and  slen- 
der as  a  hair,  or  a  bit  of  silk,  cannot  support  the  wounds 
given  them  with  the  broom  or  quill.  The  mulberry  leaves 
must  be  cut  into  extremely  fine  shreds,  and  spread  in  an 
equal  manner,  upon  a  large  sheet  of  paper.  The  side  of 
the  paper,  on  which  the  worms  are  hatching,  must  be 
applied  to  that  which  is  covered  with  bits  of  the  mulberry 
leaves.  The  worms  liking  the  smell  of  mulberry  leaves, 
descend  themselves  on  the  paper,  destined  to  receive  them. 

Then  the  paper,  on  which  the  eggs  were,  must  be  newly 
weighed ;  the  quantity  of  hatched  worms  will  be  known, 
and  it  can  be  calculated  how  many  leaves  will  be  required 
to  feed  them.  It  is  much  better  to  have  more  leaves  than 
are  wanted  for  the  number  of  silk  worms  to  be  raised. 
Then  an  abundant  nourishment  will  be  had  for  the  silk 
worms,  and  one  will  not  be  exposed  to  the  misfortune 
caused  by  a  scarcity  of  leaves. 

There  are  many  persons  who  do  not  make  this  calcula- 
tion beforehand  ;  but  when  the  leaves  are  about  failing, 
they  find  themselves  reduced  to  the  most  painful  extremi- 
ties ;  they  pawn,  or  sell  their  effects  to  procure  them. 
14 


106  ON  REARING 

They  have  the  grief  of  seeing  their  silk  worms  tormented 
by  hunger ;  the  hurdles  are  strewed  with  worms  that  lan- 
guish and  die.  Thus,  by  their  want  of  forecast,  they  use- 
lessly sacrifice  the  lives  of  a  great  number  of  these  precious 
insects. 


NONG-SANG-TSI-YAO. 


It  depends  on  one's  self  to  retard  or  hasten  the  changing 
of  colour,  in  the  eggs ;  but  care  must  be  taken  to  change 
them  in  a  natural  manner,  and  not  to  compromit  the  life  of 
a  silk  worm  enclosed  in  the  egg. 

When  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry  tree  are  grown,  at  eight 
or  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  sheets  of  paper  must  be 
taken  out  of  the  vase,  unrolled  and  hung  up.  There  is  no 
rigorous  rule  to  determine  the  progress  of  the  eggs.  Only 
the  first  day,  their  color  must  be  changed  to  three  tenths, 
the  second  day  to  seven  tenths.  Then  the  leaves  must  be 
rolled,  they  must  be  put  in  a  paper  tube,  with  the  two  ends 
well  pasted,  and  they  must  be  replaced  in  the  vase.  The 
third  day,  towards  twelve  o'clock,  the  rolls  must  be  again 
taken  out  of  the  vase  and  unfolded.  Their  color  will 
then  be  completely  changed. 


NONG-SANG-PI-KIOUE. 


The  art  of  raising  silk  worms  begins  with  the  choice  of 
the  eggs,  and  the  preservation  of  the  cocoons.  Select  in 
the  cocoon  room,  the  cocoons  that  are  turned  towards  the 
light  (that  is  to  say,  those  from  the  top  of  the  cocoon  room) 
such  as  are  brilliant,  neat,  and  of  a  firm  texture. 


SILK  WORMS.  107 

The  moths  which  come  out  the  first  day,  are  called 
miao-ngo  (viz  :  grass  moths.  The  latest  of  all,  are  called 
mo-ngo,  (that  is  to  say:  the  last  butterflies.)  Neither  of 
them  ought  to  be  kept.  Only  those  which  come  out  after 
the  second  day  must  be  taken.  The  sheets  of  the  paper 
must  be  spread  upon  the  cases  of  a  shelf,  then  the  males 
and  females  come  close  together  and  copulate.  When  the 
evening  comes,  the  male  butterflies  must  be  taken  away, 
and  the  females  must  be  placed  on  sheets  of  paper,  leaving 
an  equal  distance  between  them.  The  eggs  which  are 
found  in  lumps,  ought  to  be  thrown  out.  When  the  females 
have  laid  a  number  of  eggs,  they  must  be  left  on  the  sheets 
where  they  are  deposited  and  covered  from  three  to  five 
days.  When  the  sheets  are  hung  up,  the  eggs  ought  to  be 
turned  outward  (read  :  in- ward)  for  fear  the  wind  may 
cause  them  to  perish. 


SAME    WORK. 


At  the  winter  solstice,  and  the  eighth  day  of  the  last 
moon,  the  eggs  must  not  be  bathed  in  too  deep  a  water. 

After  having  dipped  them,  they  must  betaken  out.  The 
fifteenth  day  of  the  moon  (when  it  is  full)  several  sheets 
must  be  taken,  covered  with  eggs  and  rolled  together.  Tie 
them  firmly  with  a  string  of  mulberry  bark,  (or  of  cotton,) 
and  suspend  them  before  the  porch  or  vestibule  of  the  house, 
at  the  height  of  a  long  pole,  in  order  that  they  may  be  ex- 
posed to  the  cold  which  is  felt  at  the  close  of  the  year. 
After  new-year's  day  the  rolls  must  be  spread  out,  and 
placed  upright  in  an  earthen  vessel.  At  the  end  of  ten  days, 
when  the  sun  is  above  the  horizon,  the  leaves  must  be 
taken  out  of  the  vessel.  Whenever  the  weather  has  been 


108  ON  REARING 

dull  or  rainy,  they  must  be  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
as  soon  as  they  commence  to  hatch. 

Such  is  the  manner  of  bathing  and  preserving  the  eggs 
of  the  silk  worms. 


WOU-PEN-SIN-CHOU. 

' 

At  the  time  called  ihsing-ming,  (the  5th  of  April,)  take 
the  leaves  covered  with  eggs,  which  have  been  deposited  in 
an  earthen  vessel  and  transport  them,  sheltered,  from  the 
wind  to  a  room  where  a  mild  heat  reigns,  and  suspend  them 
at  half  the  height  of  the  apartment. 

At  the  time  called  kou-iu,  (28th  April,)  expose  the  leaves 
to  the  air  and  sun,  but  they  must  be  inverted  or  turned 
inside  out.  You  must  roll  from  left  to  right  those  that 
were  rolled  contrarily,  and  you  must  roll  from  right  to  left 
those  that  were  rolled  the  opposite  way ;  every  day  you 
must  change  and  roll  them  in  a  different  way  from  the  old 
one.  After  having  sufficiently  rolled  and  unrolled  them, 
you  must  put  them  as  before  in  the  vase. 

When  the  time  of  hatching  approaches,  the  leaves  must 
be  carried  to  a  room  where  they  will  be  sheltered  from  the 
wind  and  sun  ;  the  silk  worms  will  hatch  all  at  once. 


SAME    WORK. 


To  make  the  silk  worms  descend,  when  hatched,  there 
are  many  persons  who  strike  the  reverse  of  the  leaves  with 
a  small  stick  of  peach  wood.  When  the  worms  have  de- 
scended, they  gather  the,m  together  with  a  small  broom  or 
quill,  put  then  in  an  envelope  of  paper  and  weigh  them, 
then  spread  them  upon  the  hurdles.  Afterwards,  at  the 


SILKWORMS.  109 

different  periods  of  their  existence,  they  experience  dis- 
eases which  are  frequently  produced  by  that  dangerous 
practice. 

When  the  worms  are  hatched,  a  bed  of  chopped  straw 
must  be  placed  on  a  hurdle,  where  are  likewise  placed  one 
or  two  jujube  fruits,  cooked  in  the  ashes.  Before  the 
hatching  of  the  silk  worms,  the  leaves  covered  with  eggs 
must  be  weighed.  After  the  hatching,  the  newly  hatched 
worms  must  be  spread  on  the  chopped  straw,  distribute 
them  in  an  equal  manner,  and  very  distant  from  one  ano- 
ther. 

When  the  worms  are  all  hatched,  the  empty  leaves  must 
be  weighed,  and  the  exact  quantity  of  worms  to  be  raised 
will  be  known. 

If  the  rules  we  have  just  laid  down  are  faithfully  fol- 
lowed, not  one  silk  worm  out  of  a  hundred  will  be  lost. 

We  see  persons,  at  the  present  day,  who  deposite  on  a 
single  mat,  worms  proceeding  from  one  or  two  ounces  of 
eggs  ;  they  are  heaped  up,  and  pressed  against  one  another. 
The  infallible  result  is,  that  they  lose  a  great  number  of  silk 
worms. 

When  a  person  has  newly  hatched  silk  worms,  the  pro- 
ceeds of  three  ounces  of  eggs,  it  is  necessary  to  spread  them 
in  an  equal  manner  upon  a  large  hurdle.  Above  all,  do 
not  raise  too  great  a  number  of  silk  worms,  for,  if  your 
means  only  permit  you  to  nourish  the  silk  worms  proceeding 
from  three  ounces  of  eggs,  and,  from  cupidity,  you  attempt 
to  raise  the  worms  of  four  ounces  of  eggs,  you  will  soon  feel 
the  want  of  space,  hurdles,  laborers,  and  fuel.  In  this  man- 
ner you  will  lose,  at  the  same  time,  your  silk  worms,  and 
the  expenses  incurred  in  that  unprofitable  attempt. 


110  ON  REARING 

NONG-TCHING-TSIOUEN-CHOU. 

In  the  work  entitled  Sse-nong-pi-yong,  we  read : 

"  To  make  silk  worms  hatch,  the  degrees  of  heat  and 
cold,  proper  for  them,  must  be  known,  and  the  manner  of 
hastening  or  retarding  their  hatching,  in  order  that  not  one 
may  hatch  before  or  after  the  others. 

"  The  following  method  must  be  pursued  : 

"  When  the  eggs  have  assumed  an  ash  color,  the  leaves 
covered  with  eggs  must  be  united  two  by  two,  and  extended 
upon  a  clean  frame.  Afterwards  they  must  be  rolled  up 
tightly  and  the  two  ends  tied  with  a  pack-thread,  (of  cotton 
or  bark  of  the  mulberry  tree,)  and  the  rolls  placed  upright 
in  a  clean,  cool  room,  where  there  is  no  smoke. 

"  The  evening  of  the  third  day,  the  rolls  must  be  taken, 
unfolded,  and  extended  on  the  hurdles.  It  is  a  very  happy 
circumstance  if  none  of  the  worms  are  hatched.  But  if  by 
chance  there  are  any  hatched  before  the  others,  they  must 
be  taken  and  thrown  out.  Afterwards  the  leaves  must  be 
taken  three  together,  rolled  in  a  loose  manner,  and  deposit- 
ed in  the  room  newly  warmed  for  the  silk  worms.  The 
time  of  the  rising  of  the  sun  must  be  attentively  observed, 
then  the  leaves  must  be  unrolled,  and  spread,  one  by  one, 
upon  hurdles  in  the  middle  of  the  yard.  If  there  is  any  dew 
the  hurdles  must  be  placed  in  a  cool  room,  or  under  a  kind 
of  tent.  Some  time  after,  the  leaves  must  be  transported 
to  a  room  prepared  for  the  silk  worms,  and  they  must  be 
spread,  one  by  one,  upon  hurdles  placed  on  the  ground. — 
After  a  few  moments  the  silk  worms  will  hatch  all  at  once, 
looking  like  small  black  ants.  There  will  not  be  one  that 
will  hatch  before  or  after  the  others.  The  hatched  worms 
must  then  be  weighed  with  the  leaves  of  paper,  to  know  the 


SILK  WORMS.  1  1  1 

number  of  silk  worms  to  be  fed,  and  to  calculate,  in  advance, 
the  quantity  of  leaves  which  will  be  wanted." 


SAME    WORK. 


When  the  newly  hatched  worms  are  made  to  descend, 
they  must  be  dealt  carefully  with,  spread  upon  the  hurdle 
in  an  equal  manner,  and  a  proper  space  left  between  them. 
Care  must  be  taken  not  to  wound  them,  or  to  press  one 
against  the  other.  As  soon  as  the  worms  are  all  hatched, 
the  fresh  and  tender  leaves  must  be  taken,  and  cut  in  very 
fine  shreds,  with  a  very  sharp  knife ;  then  they  must  be 
spread,  with  a  coarse  sieve,  upon  the  sheets  which  are  to 
receive  the  silk  worms,  and  under  which  a  bed  of  chopped 
straw  must  be  previously  spread.  The  cut  leaves  must  be 
spread  in  an  uniform  manner,  in  very  light  layers.  After- 
wards the  sheets  of  paper  must  be  taken,  where  the  worms 
newly  hatched  are,  and  they  must  be  applied  to  the  mulber- 
ry leaves  ;  the  worms  descend  themselves  on  the  mulberry 
leaves.  If  some  worms  are  too  long  a  time  in  descending, 
or  if  they  ascend  upon  the  back  of  the  sheet  of  paper,  or  if 
they  do  not  descend,  when  the  leaf  is  turned  over,  they  must 
be  thrown  away,  with  the  leaf  to  which  they  remain  attach- 
ed. They  are  diseased  worms,  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  raise. 


SAME    WORK. 


The  success  in  raising  silk  worms  depends  on  the  precau- 
tion which  is  taken  in  the  beginning,  and  subsequently,  not 
to  expose  them  to  any  danger.  If  the  silk  worms  do  not 
revive  all  at  once,  from  their  first  sleep,  or  moulting,  it  pro- 
ceeds from  their  not  having  changed  color,  and  not  hatching 


112  ON  REARING,  &c. 

all  at  once.  If  they  do  not  change  color,  and  do  not  hatch 
all  at  once,  it  is  because  the  rules  prescribed  to  preserve  the 
eggs,  have  riot  been  strictly  followed. 

SAME    WORK. 

v ;.  i  _  i f     ,?  .«....,   „ :,  >   -».'•-, r/ ? 

In  the  work  entitled  Thsin-kouan-tsan-chou,  we  read  : 
"  The  first  day  of  the  last  moon  the  eggs  must  be  col- 
lected and  watered  with  cow's  urine  ;  afterwards  they  must 
be  washed  with  clean  water.  It  must  be  so  done  that  the 
sheets  of  paper  covered  with  eggs  be  not  torn.  (An  author 
advises  to  strengthen  them  with  threads  of  cotton  or  silk, 
basted  at  distances  according  to  their  length  and  breadth.") 


FOOD  FOR  THE  SILK  WORMS. 


KOUAI-KI-TCHI. 


The  greater  part  of  the  Spring  silk  worms  have  four 
moultings,  all  the  others  have  but  three.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  country  of  Youe  express  the  idea  attached  to  the  word 
mein,  sleep  (moulting)  by  the  word  yao,  youth.  Thus  they 
say :  the  first,  second  and  third  youth  of  the  silk  worms. 


THE  BOOK  ON  SILK  WORMS. 


Three  brilliant  colors  are  distinguishable  in  the  silk  worm: 
When  they  are  of  a  shining  white,  feed  them  moderate- 

iy; 

When  of  a  dazzling  blue,  they  must  be  abundantly  fed  ; 

When  their  skin  is  wrinkled,  it  is  a  sign  that  they  are 
hungry ; 

When  they  are  of  bright  yellow,  diminish,  by  degrees, 
their  food. 


THSI-MIN-YAO-CHOU. 


Whenever  the  silk  worms  are  fed,  the  window  blinds 
must  be  raised  up,  and  closed  again  when  they  have  finish- 
ed eating.     The  light  excites  an  appetite  in  the  silk  worm, 
15 


114  ON  REARING 

(literally :  as  soon  as  the  silk  worms  see  the  light  they  eat.) 
After  a  plentiful  meal  they  grow  and  become  large. 


THE  BOOK  ON  SILK  WORMS. 


The  next  day,  after  the  hatching  of  the  silk  worms,  mul- 
berry leaves,  or  leaves  of  tcke,  dried  in  a  well-aired  place, 
must  be  given  to  them.  When  they  are  about  the  twentieth 
of  an  inch  long,  they  will  eat  five  times  during  the  day  and 
night. 

The  ninth  day  they  refuse  food  during  one  day  and  night. 
This  repose  is  called  the  first  moulting. 

Seven  days  after,  they  again  moult,  as  the  first  time. — 
When  they  have  eaten  some  leaves  and  attained  the  length 
of  the  tenth  of  an  inch,  they  will  feed  six  times  during  the 
day  and  night. 

Seven  days  after  they  moult  as  before. 

Five  days  after  they  leave  off  eating.  This  abstinence 
lasts  for  two  days,  (the  sixth  and  seventh  days  ;)  it  is  call- 
ed ta-mien,  or  the  great  moulting.  Then  the  silk  worms 
eat  but  half  the  leaf.  They  will  feed  eight  times  during 
the  day  and  night. 

Three  days  thereafter  they  have  a  great  appetite ;  then 
they  will  eat  the  whole  leaf.  They  will  feed  ten  times  du- 
ring the  day  and  night.  Before  three  days  have  elapsed, 
they  begin  to  work  at  their  cocoons. 

When  the  silk  worms  begin  to  feed,  after  each  moulting, 
leaves  must  be  spread  lightly  over  them.  If  the  leaves  are 
thrown  in  upon  them,  sensations  will  be  produced  destruc- 
tive to  their  appetite. 


"  ! 


SILKWORMS.  115 

OBSERVATION    BY    THE    TRANSLATOR. 

The  preceding  extract  relates  to  silk  wcfrms  of  four  moult- 
ings,  the  raising  of  which  lasts  a  longer  time  than  that  of 
the  ordinary  silk  worms,  that  is  to  say  :  silk  worms  of  three 
moultings. 


HO-PI-SSE-LOUI. 


When  the  silk  worms  lay  down  and  remain  motionless, 
that  repose  is  called  moulting.  During  the  time  of  moult- 
ing they  do  not  eat,  either  the  mulberry  leaves,  or  leaves  of 
the  tree,  tche.  At  the  end  of  one  day  and  night,  they  shed 
their  skins. 

There  are  some  silk  worms  which  have  three  moultings, 
and  others  four. 


HOANG-SING-TSENG,  SAYS 


From  the  hatching  of  the  silk  worms  to  their  third  moult- 
ing, cut  leaves  ought  to  be  constantly  given  them.  When 
the  ardent  silk  worms  are  fed,  that  is  to  say,  Autumn  silk 
worms,  they  must  be  carefully  watched.  As  soon  as  they 
have  eaten  their  leaves,  give  them  more,  for  they  will  fall 
sick,  if  they  breathe  the  heat  of  the  silk  room  fasting. 


NONG-SANG-TSI-YAO. 


Towards  the  end  of  Autumn,  before  the  mulberry  leaves 
turn  yellow,  a  large  quantity  must  be  gathered.  They  must 
be  dried  and  broken  up  in  such  a  manner  so  as  to  be  reduced 
almost  to  powder.  They  must  be  preserved  in  a  place 


116  ON  REARING 

warmed  try  a  fire  that  produces  no  smoke.     They  wll  an- 
swer the  next  year  to  feed  the  Spring  silk  worms,  after  each 

of  their  moultings. 

en  i|£fl)  .*>w< LJ  if^gnoi  n  8i£$£  mifiiw  >ni  on?  «?,^ni 

SAME    WORK. 

The  eighth  day  of  the  last  month,  (January,)  small  green 
peas,  called  lo-teou,  (dolichos,)  must  be  soaked  in  fresh  wa- 
ter. They  must  be  spread  on  frames,  not  very  thick,  and 
dried  in  the  sun.  Wash  some  clean  rice  in  pure  water  and 
dry  it  also.  These  green  peas  and  rice  must  be  preserved 
in  a  shaded  place.  Flour  made  from  them,  will  serve  to  feed 
the  silk  worms,  after  their  last  moulting.  It  must  be  spread 
equally  on  the  leaves  given  to  them  for  food. 

SAME    WORK. 

Manner  of  Feeding  the  newly  hatched  Silk  Worms. 

The  leaves  of  the  mulberry  must  be  frequently  cut  in 
very  fine  shreds,  and  lightly  spread  over  them  with  a  sieve. 
The  food  ought  to  be  distributed  without  interruption.  In 
the  space  of  one  hour  (two  of  our  hours)  four  meals  must 
be  given  them,  which  makes  forty-eight  repasts  in  the  space 
of  one  day  and  night. 


SAME    WORK. 


Food  must  be  given  to  the  silk  worms  without  fail  during 
the  day  and  night.  If  their  repasts  are  multiplied,  it  will 
necessarily  result,  that  they  will  soon  arrive  at  maturity  ; 
but  if  their  meals  are  rare,  and  not  numerous,  they  will 
attain  their  growth  slowly. 

When  the  silk  worms  attain  maturity  in  twenty-five  days, 
one  frame  or  hurdle  will  furnish  twenty-five  ounces  of  silk. 


SILKWORMS.  117 

If  in  twenty-eight  days,  only  twenty  ounces  can  be  obtain- 
ed. If  the  time  be  one  month,  or  forty  days,  one  hurdle 
will  furnish  but  ten  ounces  of  silk. 

Those  persons  who  feed  silk  worms  ought  to  endeavor 
not  to  sleep.  Laziness  has  serious  inconveniences. 

Every  time  the  silk  worms  are  fed,  all  the  hurdles  must 
be  visited  with  the  greatest  attention.  It  is  essential  for  the 
leaves  to  be  distributed  in  an  equal  manner.  If  the  wea- 
ther be  dark  and  rainy,  if  the  exterior  air  be  cold,  before 
feeding  the  silk  worms,  dry  branches  of  mulberry  trees  must 
be  taken,  or  rather  a  handful  of  rice  straw,  stripped  of  all 
its  leaves,  fire  must  be  put  to  it,  and  the  flame  put  around 
and  above  the  hurdles  in  order  to  dissipate  the  cold  and 
damp  which  benumbs  the  silk  worms.  After  that  operation 
they  must  be  fed.  In  that  manner  they  do  not  contract  any 
disease.  The  time  of  their  general  moulting  must  be  ob- 
served, and  then  the  feeding  must  be  suspended.  After- 
wards nothing  is  given  them  to  eat,  until  they  are  all  recov- 
ered from  their  torpid  state.  If  food  is  given  them,  when 
there  are.  but  eight  or  nine-tenths  of  them  recovered,  they 
will  not  arrive,  all  together,  at  maturity  ;  besides,  great  num- 
bers of  them  will  be  lost. 

From  the  second  to  the  great  moulting,  (the  third  moult- 
ing,) when  the  worms  assume  a  glossy  yellow  color,  and 
when  they  are  disposed  to  moult,  the  nourishment  must  be 
suspended,  and  they  be  transported  to  other  frames.  Af- 
terwards, when  they  are  all  recovered,  they  must  be  slowly 
fed,  that  is  to  say  :  they  must  have  their  repasts  given  them 
at  long  intervals,  and  leaves  must  be  spread  on  them  in  very 
light  layers.  If  the  leaves  were  distributed  too  abundantly, 
they  would  eat  without  appetite  and  become  sick.  Now, 
as  it  is  the  food  which  gives  strength  and  life  to  the  silk 


118  ON  REARING 

worms,  the  greatest  attention  must  be  paid  to  see  that  it  be 
suitable  and  possesses  all  the  proper  qualities.  The  silk 
worms  like  not  leaves  saturated  with  rain  or  dew  ;  if  they 
eat  of  them  the  greatest  number  immediately  fall  sick. 


SAME  WORK. 


When  the  silk  worms  recover  from  their  great  moulting, 
(their  third  moulting,)  the  heat  of  the  rooms  must  be  dimin- 
ished when  it  incommodes  them.  At  that  time  frequent 
meals  must  be  given  them.  If  a  south  wind  blow,  the 
window  blinds  must  be  let  down,  and  the  straw  mats  of  the 
doors  closed.  At  that  moment  they  must  be  transported  to 
other  hurdles.  When  the  silk  worms  are  spread  on  the 
hurdles,  the  distance  of  one  finger  must  be  left  between 
each  one.  Then  the  small  green  peas,  which  were  reserved 
from  the  month  of  January,  must  be  taken,  and  soaked  in 
a  small  quantity  of  water,  until  they  germinate  :  afterwards 
they  must  be  dried  in  the  sun,  and  reduced  to  powder. 

The  clean  rice,  which  was  also  laid  by  in  the  month  of 
January,  can  be  employed  for  the  same  use,  after  having 
been  boiled  by  steam,  and  reduced  to  flour.  At  the  fourth 
feeding,  that  flour  must  be  spread  in  an  uniform  manner, 
upon  mulberry  leaves.  It  will  refresh  the  silk  worms,  and 
dissipate  the  internal  heat  they  feel  at  that  period  of  their 
age,  and  which  is  a  mortal  poison  to  them.  The  silk  they 
afterwards  produce,  is  more  abundant,  easier  to  reel,  and, 
besides,  it  is  stronger  and  more  brilliant. 

If  there  be  but  a  small  quantity  of  fresh  leaves,  the  leaves 
which  were  cropped  the  preceding  Autumn  must  be  taken, 
pounded  again  and  reduced  to  powder.  The  new  leaves 
must  be  lightly  moistened,  and  the  powdered  leaves  spread 


SILK  WORMS.  1  19 

on  in  an  uniform  manner.  Thus  a  want  of  leaves  may  be 
supplied.  The  leaves  of  the  plant  called  ou-kiu,  (cico- 
rium  intubus  ?)  can  also  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  that 
flour. 


NONG-SSE-PI-YONG. 

Same  Subject. 

Early  in  the  morning,  the  roots  of  the  mulberry  trees 
must  be  watered,  and  the  leaves  gathered  soon  after.  If 
they  are  watered  early  in  the  morning,  the  leaves  will  be 
very  juicy  ;  if  they  are  gathered  soon  after  having  been 
watered,  they  will  not  wither. 

They  must  be  cut  in  fine  shreds  with  a  well  sharpened 
knife,  and  spread  in  light  layers,  with  a  coarse  sieve.  If  a 
very  sharp  knife  be  not  used,  the  leaves  will  loose  their 
juice ;  if  they  be  not  cut  very  thin,  they  will  cover  and 
overload  the  silk  worms.  If  a  sieve  be  not  made  use  of, 
they  will  not  be  distributed  in  an  equal  manner ;  if  the  cut 
leaves  be  not  distributed  in  an  equal  manner,  the  silk  worms 
will  not  all  eat  an  equal  quantity. 

The  juice  of  the  leaves  is  not  very  abundant ;  at  the  ex- 
piration of  some  time,  it  dries  up;  for  that  reason  the  leaves 
immediately  after  the  watering  require  to  be  sifted  on  the 
silk  worms. 

The  first  day,  two  repasts  an  hour  must  be  given  them, 
that  is  to  say,  about  forty-eight  repasts  in  the  space  of  a 
day  and  night. 

The  second  day,  thirty  repasts  must  be  given  them,  in 
the  same  interval  of  time,  and  the  leaves  which  are  distri- 
buted to  them,  must  be  cut  a  little  smaller. 


120  ON  REARING 

•  The  third  day,  only  twenty  meals  must  be  given  them 
(during  the  day  and  night,)  composed  of  leaves  thinner  than 
the  second  day.  They  must  be  kept  in  great  obscurity  and 
heat.  Generally,  the  newly  hatched  worms  require  dark- 
ness. When  they  recover  from  their  sleep,  or  moulting,  a 
little  light  ought  to  be  allowed  them  ;  at  a  later  period,  when 
they  show  a  smart  appetite,  a  great  deal  of  light  must  be 
given  them. 

SAME  WORK. 

Another  Method. 

As  soon  as  the  leaves  are  cut  very  fine,  they  must  be 
spread  in  light  layers  with  a  sieve.  Four  repasts  must  be 
given  by  the  hour,  (two  of  our  hours,)  which  makes  about 
forty-eight  repasts  in  the  space  of  one  day  and  one  night. 
Some  persons  give  but  thirty-six  in  the  same  interval  of 
time.  This  is  my  opinion.  The  newly  hatched  worms 
only  feed  on  the  juice  of  the  leaves.  If  their  repasts  are 
not  multiplied  they  will  resemble  young  foster  children  who 
are  deprived  of  milk  from  their  infancy;  consequently,  they 
never  fail  to  be  weak,  pitiful  and  sickly. 

Leaves  full  of  juice,  which  have  been  gathered  the  pre- 
ceding night,  from  the  branches  exposed  to  the  south-east, 
must  be  given  them.  These  leaves  must  be  kept  apart,  in 
an  earthen  jar,  and  cut  up  very  fine  as  soon  as  they  have 
been  taken  out. 

SAME    WORK. 

Method  for  diminishing  the  Food  and  hastening  the 

Moulting. 
When  the  silk  worms  are  disposed  to  sleep,  (to  moult,) 


SILK  WORMS.  121 

their  food  must  be  diminished  in  proportion  to  the  degree 
of  yellow  or  white  which  their  skin  assumes ;  the  leaves 
destined  for  their  food,  must  be  cut  in  fine  shreds,  and  fre- 
quently spread  in  light  layers. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  completely  yellow,  they  ought 
to  be  transported,  in  succession,  to  other  hurdles,  without 
caring  whether  the  sky  be  dark  or  serene,  if  it  be  in  the 
morning  or  the  middle  of  the  night.  When  they  have  been 
transported  to  other  hurdles,  the  feeding  must  be  suspended 
until  they  have  all  recovered  from  their  moulting,  when  they 
may  be  fed  again.  This  is  called  diminishing  the  food  and 
deciding  the  moulting.  These  two  expressions  imply,  that 
the  nourishing  of  the  silk  worms,  which  are  disposed  to 
moult,  must  be  diminished,  (care  must  be  taken  not  to  cover 
or  overload  them  with  leaves,)  and,  on  the  other  side,  the 
silk  wrorms  must  be  abundantly  fed,  (which  are  not  disposed 
to  moult,)  in  order  that  they  may  quickly  moult.  Not  only 
will  they  all  moult  together,  but  they  will  be  exempt  from 
diseases  caused  by  the  accumulation  of  leaves,  and  the  in- 
ternal heat  which  consequently  follows. 


NONG-SANG-THONG-KIOUE. 


The  silk  worms  may  be  found  in  ten  different  situations : 
They  may  be  cold  or  hot,  starved  or  satiated,  sufficiently  far 
apart,  or  too  near  together,  asleep  or  awake ;  they  may  eat 

slowly  or  with  appetite. 

\ 

SAME    WORK. 

Injurious  things  to  the  Silk  Worms. 

1st.  The  silk  worms  do  not  like  to  eat  damp  leaves; 
16 


122  ON  REARING 

2d.  They  do  not  like  to  eat  warm  leaves ; 

3d.  The  newly  hatched  worms  do  not  like  the  smell  of 
fish,  fried  in  a  pan ; 

4th.  They  do  not  like  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of 
persons  who  pound  rice  in  mortars ; 

5th.  They  do  not  like  to  hear  strokes  on  sonorous  bodies ; 

6th.  A  woman,  who  has  borne  a  child  within  a  month, 
ought  not  to  be  the  matron  of  silk  worms;  that  is  to 
say :  ought  not  to  be  charged  with  the  raising  of  silk 
worms ; 

7th.  They  dislike  men,  who  smell  of  wine,  to  give  them 
food,  to  transport  them  from  one  place  to  another,  or  to 
spread  them  on  hurdles ; 

8th.  From  the  time  they  are  hatched,  until  maturity,  the 
silk  worms  dread  smoke  and  odorous  exhalations ; 

9th.  They  do  not  like  to  have  skin  or  hair  burnt  near 
them; 

10th.  They  do  not  like  the  smell  of  fish,  musk,  or  the 
odor  of  certain  herbaceous  animals,  (like  the  goat,  &c;) 

llth.  They  do  not  like  to  have  a  window,  exposed  to  the 
wind,  to  be  opened  during  the  day ; 

]  2th.  They  do  not  like  to  receive  the  rays  of  the  setting 
sun ; 

13th.  They  do  not  like,  when  the  temperature  of  their 
habitation  is  warm,  to  have  a  sudden  cold  or  violent  wind 
introduced  there  ; 

14th.  When  their  habitation  is  cool,  they  do  not  like  a 
sudden  change  to  excessive  heat ; 

15th,  They  do  not  like  dirty  and  slovenly  persons  to 
\  enter  their  room  ; 

16th.  Care  must  be  taken  to  keep  all  noxious  effluvia 
and  filth  distant  from  the  apartments  of  the  silk  worms. 


SILK  WORMS. 


SAME   WORK. 


The  third  day,  between  ten  and  two  o'clock  in  the  af- 
ternoon, three  hurdles,  or  frames,  must  be  placed  upon  ano- 
ther stage.  The  one  above  protects  the  worms  from  the 
dust;  that  below  protects  them  from  dampness:  and  the 
middle  one  is  destined  to  receive  the  silk  worms.  Young 
silk  worms  when  incommoded  by  internal  heat  must  be 
changed.  A  small  quantity  of  worms,  occupying  a  space 
as  large  as  a  square  of  a  chequer-board,  must  be  deposited 
on  the  middle  frame ;  they  will  soon  cover  it  entirely.  By 
degrees  the  quantity  of  food  must  be  increased.  In  the 
morning,  if  the  weather  be  clear,  the  window  situated  to 
the  east  can  be  opened,  and  during  the  day,  those  which  are 
in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  wind.  By  degrees  they  will 
change  color ;  and,  accordin  to  the  color  they  assume,  their 
food  must  be  increased  or  diminished.  When  they  are 
completely  yellow,  food  must  not  be  given  them.  They 
remain  motionless,  and  that  is  called  theou-mien,  (or  the  first 
moulting.)  When  they  have  been  removed  after  their  first 
moulting,  six  meals  may  be  given  them,  during  the  space  of 
one  day  and  night.  The  second  day,  the  quantity  of  leaves 
must  be  gradually  increased.  The  windows  can  be  half 
opened.  From  the  first  moment  they  begin  to  turn  yellow, 
they  must  be  kept  very  warm.  When  they  are  entirely 
torpid  they  require  a  great  deal  of  heat ;  when  they  are  per- 
fectly recovered,  they  only  want  a  moderate  heat. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  removed,  after  their  second 
moulting,  and  are  all  recovered,  light  repasts  ought  to  be 
given  them  at  first.  Four  repasts  in  one  day  and  night  will 
be  enough.  The  next  day  the  quantity  of  leaves  may  be 
augmented  by  degrees.  Some  persons  open  the  windows. 


124  ON  REARING 

From  the  first  moment  they  begin  to  turn  yellow,  they 
require  a  good  heat ;  when  they  are  once  torpid,  a  mode- 
rate heat  ought  to  be  allowed  them  ;  when  they  are  all  re- 
covered they  require  a  mild  heat. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  removed  after  their  third  moult- 
ing, and  they  are  all  revived,  three  repasts  must  be  given 
them  during  one  day  and  night.  The  first  repast  ought  to 
be  very  light ;  the  second  lighter  than  the  first,  the  third  the 
same  as  the  first.  If  these  three  repasts  be  not  adminis- 
tered with  much  caution,  the  silk  worms  will  feed  slowly 
until  the  period  of  their  maturity.  The  second  day,  the 
quantity  of  leaves  must  be  increased  by  degrees.  The 
windows  can  be  thrown  entirely  open,  and  the  dormer 
windows  above  the  frames  may  be  likewise  opened. 

From  the  first  moment  they  begin  to  turn  yellow,  they 
require  a  mild  heat ;  when  they  are  completely  torpid  a 
lukewarm  heat  is  required ;  when  they  are  all  revived  they 
require  coolness.  After  each  repast  a  basket  of  leaves  must 
be  taken,  and  the  tour  of  the  shelves  made.  If  an  empty 
place  is  perceived  (upon  a  hurdle)  it  must  be  covered  with 
leaves  strewn  with  rice  flour.  After  the  seventh  or  eighth 
feeding,  (from  ten  to  two  o'clock,)  cut  leaves  must  be  spread 
upon  the  hurdles  ;  they  must  be  moistened  equally  with 
freshwater;  then,  after  a  lapse  of  some  time,  sifted  rice 
flour  must  be  spread,  being  careful  to  distribute  it  in  an 
uniform  manner.  For  each  basket  of  leaves  a  ching,  (a 
kind  of  measure,)  of  fresh  water  and  four  ounces  of  flour 
must  be  used.  If  the  flour  cannot  be  had,  a  basket  of  new 
leaves  only  must  be  used  ;  it  will  furnish  a  repast  for  the 
silk  worms  of  a  frame. 

[Extract  from  Nong-tching-lsioucn-chou.     The  powder 
of  leaves,  which  are  spread  on  fresh  leaves,  fills  the  body  of 


SILKWORMS.  125 

the  silk  worms,  (that  is  to  say:  is  very  nourishing,)  and 
disposes  them  to  make  a  firm  and  thick  cocoon,  the  silk  of 
which  is  remarkably  strong.] 

When  the  leaves  are  cut  up,  moisten  them  with  fresh  wa- 
ter ;  then  sift  the  powdered  leaves,  and  spread  them  in  an 
uniform  manner. 

After  the  great  moulting  of  the  silk  worms,  (the  third 
moulting,)  from  three  to  five  meals  of  that  kind  must  be 
given  them  at  certain  intervals.  When  the  silk  worms  ap- 
proach their  maturity,  they  require  light  and  frequent  re- 
pasts and  moderate  heat. 


SAME    WORK. 


If  among  the  silk  worms  there  be  any  that  are  backward, 
that  is  to  say  :  which  do  not  appear  disposed  to  moult  at  the 
same  time  with  the  others,  frequent  supplies  of  food  ought 
to  be  given  them,  in  order  to  accelerate  ;iml  cause  their 
moulting,  at  the  same  time  with  the  rest  of  the  hurdle. — 
When  the  silk  worms  do  not  moult  all  at  once,  it  proceeds 
from  a  species  of  disease,  which  dates  from  their  hatching. 
This  method  must  be  followed  to  remedy  it :  If  among  the 
silk  worms  which  are  completely  yellow,  some  change  their 
white  color,  and  begin  to  turn  yellow,  much  time  is  not 
required  to  become  completely  so.  By  the  aid  of  very  fre- 
quent feeding  they  will  soon  overtake  the  others ;  in  fact, 
multiplying  the  feeding  hastens  the  period  of  their  moulting. 

But  when  the  greatest  number  are  completely  yellow, 
many  blue  and  white  ones  are  found,  they  are  far  from  be- 
coming entirely  yellow,  and  frequent  repasts  given  them 
will  be  useless  trouble  ;  it  is  impossible  for  the  latter  to  ar- 
rive at  the  moulting  at  the  same  time  with  the  first. 

The  change  of  color  in  the  silk  worms  is  the  least  change 


126  ON  REARING 

that  is  experienced.  When  they  moult  they  cease  eating, 
and  shed  their  skin  ;  then  they  experience  a  great  change. 
But  the  greatest  of  these  changes,  is  their  metamorphosis 
from  the  chrysalis  into  butterflies,  or  moths.  When  a  silk 
worm  is  completely  yellow,  its  mouth  is  shut,  it  no  longer 
eats,  but  sleeps,  or  is  torpid  ;  it  then  resembles  a  man  afflicted 
with  some  dreadful  disease ;  the  blood  spreads  throughout, 
its  body  experiences  great  modifications.  If  it  remains  a 
day  and  night  without  eating,  its  moulting  produces  a  hap- 
py relief. 

If,  then,  there  be  many  blue  and  white  silk  worms,  and 
their  feeding  be  too  much  hurried,  their  health  will  be  dis- 
ordered, and  a  precocious  moulting  will  not  produce  relief. 
When  those  which  were  blue  or  white  turn  yellow,  and  are 
disposed  to  moult,  all  the  others  have  accomplished  their 
moulting,  and  are  recovered. 

When  the  silk  worms  begin  to  recover  from  their  moult- 
ing, they  want  but  little  food ;  they  resemble  a  convalescent 
patient,  to  whom  only  slight  nourishment  is  given  to  repair, 
gradually,  their  strength.  If  while  the  backward  ones  moult, 
the  nourishment  of  the  earliest  be  suspended,  they  will  lan- 
guish with  hunger  and  weakness,  yet  you  are  compelled  to 
wait ;  and,  besides,  one  will  be  obliged  to  give  them  food 
when  the  backward  ones  are  recovering.  A  great  number 
will  contract  diseases,  and  very  little  silk  will  be  gathered 
from  them.  For  that  reason  the  author  of  Tsan-king,  or 
the  Book  on  Silk  Worms,  says,  with  much  reason,  that  "  the 
irregular  moulting  of  the  silk  worms  always  causes  a  dimi- 
nution of  silk." 


SAME  WORK. 


When  the  silk  worms  are  just  hatched  their  color  is  black. 


SILK  WORMS.  127 

Their  food  must  be  gradually  increased.  Three  days  there- 
after they  gradually  become  white  ;  then  they  gain  appetite. 
Leaves,  not  cut  so  small,  must  be  given  them.  When  they 
are  blue,  it  is  the  period  of  their  great  appetite.  Leaves 
must  then  be  given  them  more  abundantly,  and  not  cut  so 
small.  When  they  again  become  white,  they  feed  slowly ; 
their  food  must  be  diminished  a  little.  When  they  are  turn- 
ing yellow  they  have  but  a  delicate  appetite  ;  their  food  must 
be  again  diminished.  When  they  are  completely  yellow, 
they  entirely  cease  eating  ;  that  is  called  their  moulting. — 
When  they  are  recovered,  they  change  from  yellow  to  white, 
from  white  to  blue,  from  blue  to  a  second  white  color ;  at 
last  from  white  to  yellow  ;  this  is  their  second  moulting.  At 
each  moulting  they  experience  the  same  changes  of  color. 
They  must  be  observed  with  care,  in  order  to  diminish  or 
to  increase  their  food,  of  which  the  quantity  ought  to  varyr 
according  to  the  different  situations  in  which  they  are  found. 
The  leaves  which  are  given  them,  ought  to  be  neither 
wret  with  dew,  nor  dried  in  the  wind  or  sun,  nor  impreg- 
nated with  disagreeable  smells,  for  as  soon  as  they  have 
fed  upon  them,  they  will  contract  diseases.  If  care  be  taken 
to  preserve,  in  advance,  a  sufficiency  of  leaves  for  three  days, 
there  will  be  nothing  to  fear  from  long  rains :  the  silk  worms 
will  never  have  to  eat  damp  leaves,  and  at  the  same  time, 
they  will  not  suffer  from  hunger.  When  leaves  are  again 
gathered,  the  heat  arising  from  the  accumulation  in  sacks, 
must  be  completely  dissipated  before  giving  them  to  the  silk 
worms.  The  space  of  one  day  and  night  is,  for  the  silk 
worms,  like  unto  a  year  with  its  four  seasons.  The  morn- 
ing and  evening  are  the  Spring  and  Autumn  ;  the  middle  of 
the  day  resembles  the  Summer ;  and  the  middle  of  the  night 
Winter.  In  these  four  periods  of  the  day  the  weather  is 
never  the  same.  When  a  good  fire  is  preserved  in  the  silk 


128  ON  REARING 

room,  great  attention  ought  to  be  paid  to  keep  it  at  the  cor- 
responding temperature  for  each  one  of  those  four  periods. 
The  degree  of  heat  ought  not  to  be  constantly  the  same. — 
From  the  time  they  are  hatched,  until  their  second  sleep, 
(moulting,)  the  silk  worms  require  a  moderate  heat.  The 
matron  of  the  silk  worms,  (the  person  who  takes  care  of 
them,)  ought  to  wear  a  single  garment,  (that  is  to  say :  not 
double.)  She  must  regulate  the  temperature  of  the  silk 
room,  according  to  the  sensation  of  cold  and  heat  she  feels. 

If  she  feels  cold,  she  necessarily  will  judge  that  the  silk 
worms  are  cold,  and  the  fire  must  then  be  increased  ;  if  she 
feels  warm,  she  will  conclude  from  it,  that  the  silk  worms 
are  too  warm,  and  the  fire  must  then  be  suitably  diminished. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  all  asleep,  if  the  sky  be  clear  and 
brilliant,  between  ten  and  two  o'clock  the  windows  must  be 
openedj  to  introduce  air  and  light  in  the  apartment.  If  the 
wind  be  southerly,  the  windows  to  the  North  must  be  open- 
ed ;  if  northerly,  the  windows  on  the  South  side  must  be 
opened.  The  air  which  enters  from  a  side  opposite  to  the 
direction  of  the  wind  cannot  injure  the  silk  worms. 

When  the  silk  worms  have  recovered  from  their  great 
moulting,  (the  third  moulting,)  three  repasts  must  be  given 
them,  then  the  paper  that  covers  the  windows  must  be  cut 
with  a  pair  of  scissors,  to  allow  the  air  and  light  to  penetrate 
into  the  apartment.  The  silk  worms  will  not  be  disturbed 
or  incommoded. 

After  the  great  moulting,  when  the  windows  have  been 
opened,  and  the  paper  cut  from  the  windows,  if  the  exterior 
air  is  too  warm,  an  unglazed  earthen  vessel  must  be  placed 
at  the  entrance  of  the  door,  in  which  the  water  must  be 
often  renewed,  in  order  that  the  air  may  be  refreshed  in  its 
passage.  If  the  wind  raises,  if  it  should  rain,  or  if  the  night 
becomes  cold,  the  windows  must  be  closed  immediately. 


SILK  WORMS.  129 

NONG-TCHING-TSIOUEN-CHOU. 

The  silk  worms  are  of  a  warm  constitution.  It  is  better 
to  make  use  of  a  fire  during  the  whole  time  of  the  raising. 
The  following  is  a  method  of  warming  the  nursery  : 
A  long  stove,  placed  upon  a  hand-barrow,  must  be  made 
use  of,  so  that  it  may  be  carried  by  two  men.  When  the 
leaves  are  spread  on  the  silk  worms,  wait  until  they  have 
climbed  upon  the  leaves,  and  then  bring  in  the  stove,  which 
must  be  carefully  lighted  outside  of  the  apartment.  The 
fire  should  consist  of  hot  coals ;  it  must  be  covered  over 
with  a  bed  of  straw  ashes,  to  prevent  a  red  and  brilliant 
flame.  When  the  silk  worms  have  finished  eating,  the  stove 
must  be  carried  back.  Afterwards,  when  other  food  is  given 
to  the  silk  worms,  the  same  stove  must  be  brought  in  each 
time.  Then  the  silk  worms  will  escape  the  diseases  which 
heat  causes ;  but  if  the  stove  be  introduced  when  the  silk 
worms  are  hungry,  they  soon  become  warm.  If  the  stove 
be  introduced  soon  after  having  given  them  food,  that  is  to 
say  :  when  they  are  under  the  leaves,  not  having  had  time 
to  ascend  them,  they  will  soon  be  incommoded  by  the  fer- 
mentation of  their  dung,  and  they  will,  besides,  be  overload- 
ed by  the  leaves  spread  upon  them. 


SAME    WORK. 


When  the  air  of  the  silk  room  is  warm,  if  it.  be  suddenly 
made  cold,  the  silk  worms  will  lose  their  appetite,  and  feed 
no  longer.  Then  a  chafing-dish,  filled  with  clods  of  dry 
cow  dung,  well  ignited,  and  free  from  smoke,  and  by  the 
aid  of  an  iron  fork  must  be  moved  about  repeatedly  above 
the  frames.  That  operation  dissipates  the  cold,  which  be- 
numbs the  silk  worms,  and  they  soon  feed  with  an  appetite. 
17 


130  ON  REARING 

ON   THE   DISTRIBUTION    OF   THE    SILK 

WORMS  UPON  THE  FRAMES,  AND  THE 

SPACE  TO  BE  ALLOWED  THEM. 


THSI-MING-YAO-CHOU. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  moulting,  three  frames  are  con- 
stantly required.  The  middle  frame  is  destined  to  receive 
the  silk  worms,  the  superior  and  the  inferior  ought  to  re- 
main empty.  The  lower  frame  preserves  the  worms  from 
the  dampness  of  the  ground,  the  upper  preserves  them  from 
the  dust  of  the  apartment. 


WOU-PEN-SIN-CHOU. 


When  the  silk  worms  are  about  hatching,  they  require 
cool  air.  A  bed  of  chopped  straw  must  be  spread  on  the 
frame ;  wheat  straw  must  not  be  used.  Every  day  they 
must  be  removed  once  upon  other  frames  ;  if  they  are  not 
changed,  it  generally  happens  that  white  spots  come  over 
them. 


ON  REMOVING  THE  SILK  WORMS. 


In  removing  the  silk  worms  many  persons  must  be  em- 
ployed in  order  to  perform  it  quickly.  If  they  are  left  for 
a  long  time,  heaped  up  in  the  baskets,  they  become  heated 
and  perspire  abundantly.  In  consequence,  a  great  number 
of  them  fall  sick  and  die.  By  degrees  they  will  diminish 


SII^K  WORMS.  131 

every  time  they  are  removed  ;  and  those  which  later  arrive 
at  maturity,  will  only  produce  small  and  ill  supplied  cocoons. 

The  dung  of  the  silk  worms  must  be  frequently  removed. 
If  it  be  not  carried  away,  they  become  heated.  The  heat 
produces  fermentation,  and  causes  a  putrid  effluvia.  After- 
wards a  large  number  of  silk  worms  turn  white  and  die. 

Whenever  the  silk  worms  are  removed  they  must  be  dis- 
tributed upon  the  frames  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  some 
space  between  them  ;  if  they  are  placed  too  near  together, 
the  strongest  will  feed  at  the  expense  of  the  weakest.  It  is 
necessary  to  make  the  tour  of  the  frames  often,  and  to  visit 
them  with  care.  Moreover,  if  the  air  does  not  circulate- 
freely  in  the  apartment,  and  the  door  be  suddenly  opened,  a 
fatal  wind  may  penetrate,  and  a  great  number,  consequent- 
ly, turn  red  and  die.  When  the  silk  worms  are  distributed 
upon  the  frames,  it  ought  to  be  done  in  a  tender  manner  ; 
they  must  not  be  thrown  down,  or  they  will  be  wounded  by 
striking  against  each  other.  The  health  of  a  great  number 
of  silk  worms  will  suffer,  and  afterwards  they  will  become 
what  are  called  lai-lao-ong ;  that  is  to  say  :  lazy  old  men. 
They  leave  a  red  chrysalis. 


NONG-SANG-YAO-TCHI, 


Two  frames  must  be  placed  below  the  one  where  the 
newly  hatched  silk  worms  are.  When  the  sun  has  risen 
above  the  horizon,  a  frame  must  be  taken  away  and  dried 
until  the  setting  of  the  sun.  It  must  then  be  replaced  un- 
der the  frame  where  the  silk  worms  are.  The  next  day 
remove  a  frame  again  from  beneath,  expose  it  to  the  rays  of 
the  sun  and  then  replace  it,  as  at  first.  In  that  manner  the 
silk  worms  will  naturally  receive  a  mild  and  temperate  heat. 


132  ON  REARING 

That  frame  must  be  removed  as  soon  as  they  have  eaten, 


after  the  second  moulting. 


SAME    WORK. 


There  are  some  silk  worms  which  turn  white  and  die ; 
it  arises  from  their  having  been  injured  by  damp  exhala- 
tions, within  a  short  time  after  their  hatching.  When  the 
sky  is  clear  and  serene,  take  three  or  four  frames  and  carry 
them  quickly  into  the  apartment  of  the  silk  worms,  after 
having  exposed  them  for  some  time  to  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
Then  as  one  frame  is  removed  and  replaced  by  another,  so 
continue  to  change  them,  until  all  the  frames  of  the  silk 
worms  are  sufficiently  warmed  by  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

The  country  people,  vulgarly  say :  "  when  the  dung  of 
the  silk  worms  is  dry  and  scattered,  it  is  a  sign  that  they 
are  in  good  health."  When  the  dung  appears  in  damp 
heaps,  and  of  a  shining  white,  it  announces  that  the  silk 
worms  are  sick ;  the  frames  must  then  be  quickly  changed. 
But  if  at  the  time,  when  it  is  proper  to  change  them,  a  damp 
rain  or  a  cold  wind  comes  on,  it  will  not  do  to  remove 
them ;  the  straw  of  rushes,  chopped  to  the  size  of  a  bean, 
must  be  taken,  and  one  or  two  bushels  distributed  on  each 
frame  ;  it  must  be  spread  in  an  equal  manner  upon  the  silk 
worms.  Then  a  layer  of  fresh  leaves  must  be  placed  over 
them.  Soon  after  the  silk  worms  ascend  to  eat  the  mulberry 
leaves.  The  bed  of  rush  straw  separates  the  silk  worms 
from  the  dung,  and  relieves  them  from  that  inconvenience. 
As  soon  as  the  sky  has  become  serene,  they  must  be  re- 
moved to  other  frames ;  if  a  person  has  no  rush  straw,  the 
rice  straw  will  supply  its  place. 


SILK  WORMS.  1  33 

SSE-NONG-PI-YONG. 

The  silk  worms  produced  by  three  ounces  of  eggs,  which 
occupy  a  single  frame  at  the  moment  of  their  hatching,  will 
cover  thirty  frames  at  the  close,  or  last  period  of  their  lives. 
In  general,  one-tenth  of  an  ounce  of  silk  worms,  newly 
hatched,  will  furnish  a  frame  of  silk  worms,  in  supposing 
that  the  frame  is  as  usual,  ten  feet  long,  and  two  feet  wide. 
If  the  frames  are  of  a  smaller  dimension,  they  ought  to 
receive  a  smaller  quantity  of  newly  hatched  worms.  If 
they  are  too  numerous  for  the  space  they  occupy,  they  will 
find  themselves  close,  and,  consequently,  serious  accidents 
will  result  from  it. 

Those  persons  who  intend  raising  silk  worms,  to  cover 
more  than  thirty  frames,  ought  to  increase  the  number  of 
frames  destined  for  the  young  silk  worms,  (hatching  silk 
worms.) 

Those  who  only  raise  a  small  quantity  of  worms,  can 
make  use  of  baskets  with  small  borders. 


SAME    WORK. 


The  third  day,  between  ten  and  twelve  o'clock,  three 
frames  must  be  placed  upon  a  separate  stage.  The  hatching 
worms,  which  have  deposited  a  light  bed  of  dung,  must  be 
changed.  It  must  be  done  with  a  delicate  hand.  A  quan- 
tity of  silk  worms  which  (at  the  moment  of  their  hatching) 
occupied  a  space  the  size  of  a  square  of  a  chequer-board, 
ought  to  be  distributed  upon  the  middle  frame. 


134  ON  REARING 

BEMOVAL  OF  THE  SILK  WORMS  AFTER 
THEIR  FIRST  MOULTING. 


SSE-NONG-PI-YONG, 


Place  four  frames  upon  a  separate  stage,  and  the  worms 
which  haye  deposited  a  Jight  bed  of  dung  must  be  changed. 
When  they  have  eaten  abundantly,  a  quantity  of  silk 
worms,  which,  at  their  hatching,  occupied  a  space  as  large 
as  a  man  at  draughts,  will  fill  the  two  middle  frames ;  a 
quantity  of  silk  worms,  which  occupy  a  space  no  larger 
than  a  small  piece  of  money,  will  cover  the  third  frame. 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  SILK  WORMS  AFTER 
THEIR  SECOND  MOULTING. 


A  quantity  of  silk  worms,  which  at  the  moment  of  their 
hatching  occupy  a  space  no  larger  than  a  small  piece  of 
money,  will  cover  six  frames.  When  they  have  eaten  abun- 
dantly; the  same  silk  worms  will  cover  twelve  frames. 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  SILK  WORMS  AFTER 
THEIR  THIRD  MOULTING. 


A  quantity  of  silk  worms,  which,  at  the  moment  of  their 


SILK  WORMS.  155 

hatching,  occupy  a  space  as  large  as  two  pieces  of  money, 
will  cover  twenty-five  frames.  When  they  are  all  torpid, 
the  bed  of  chopped  straw  must  be  removed ;  they  will  then 
fill  thirty  frames. 

To  remove  and  separate  the  silk  worms,  in  a  proper 
manner,  it  must  be  done  with  promptitude  and  tenderness. 
They  must  be  separated  from  one  another,  and  an  equal 
space  left  between  them,  for  fear  they  should  wet  them- 
selves, and  reciprocally  injure  one  another.  The  silk  worms 
evacuate  freely ;  for  that  reason  they  must,  absolutely,  be 
separated.  When  they  have  deposited  a  large  quantity  of 
dung,  it  is  necessary  to  remove  them  to  other  frames.  If 
they  are  not  separated  they  will  be  too  much  crowded.  If 
the  frames  are  not  changed,  they  will  be  injured  by  the 
abundant  humors  which  they  void.  For  that  reason,  these 
two  operations  ought  to  be  performed  with  great  celerity. 

The  silk  worms  are  weak  and  delicate  beings  ;  they  suffer 
much  from  being  rudely  handled.  When  they  are  small, 
they  must  be  treated  with  great  care  and  a  kind  of  affec- 
tion ;  but  when  they  have  become  large,  there  are  few  who 
pay  any  attention  in  removing  them.  They  are  heaped 
together,  pell  mell,  for  a  long  time,  and  they  are  tumbled 
about,  or  let  fall.  This  defect  of  care  and  precaution 
causes  their  diseases,  and  often  destroys  them  ;  therefore, 
they  should  be  touched  with  a  light  hand,  and  distributed 
upon  the  frames  at  an  equal  distance  from  one  another. 


SANG-TSAN-TCHI-CHOUE. 


The  silk  worms  of  four  moultings  are  of  a  different  spe- 
cies ;  they  are  raised  in  the  same  manner,  as  the  Spring  silk 


136  ON  REARING 

worms,  (which  have  but  three  moultings.)  Only  after  the 
third,  they  must  be  distributed  upon  fifteen  frames.  When 
they  have  fed  abundantly,  they  must  be  spread  upon  twenty 
frames ;  and  after  the  great  moulting,  (the  fourth  moulting) 
they  must  be  distributed  upon  thirty  frames. 


NONG-SANG-THONG-KIOUE. 

Upon  each  stage  three  frames  are  placed  ;  the  first  is 
destined  to  receive  the  dust  of  the  apartment,  and  that 
below,  to  intercept  the  dampness  of  the  ground.  A  bed  of 
chopped  rice  straw  must  be  spread  upon  the  middle  frame, 
in  order  that  it  may  receive  the  silk  worms  which  are 
removed.  This  rice  straw  must  be  broken,  and  softened  in 
an  equal  manner,  upon  the  middle  frame ;  then  a  sheet  of 
paper  must  be  spread  above,  of  which  the  extremities  are 
pasted  to  the  edge  of  the  frame.  Upon  that  sheet  of  paper, 
the  silk  worms  must  be  placed. 


NONG-TCHING-TSIOUEN-CHOU. 


Hoang-sing-tseng  says:  When  it  is  desirable  to  remove 
the  silk  worms,  rice  straw,  crushed  in  a  mill,  must  be  spread, 
in  advance,  upon  other  frames.  It  renders  them  healthy  and 
active,  and  preserves  them  from  diseases.  Some  persons 
change  them  by  the  aid  of  a  net,  which  they  strew  with 
mulberry  leaves.  See  Plate,  2. 


ENTRANCE  OF  THE  SILK  WORMS 

IN  THE  COCOON  ROOM. 


NONG-CHOU, 


The  floor  of  the  cocoon  room  must  be  boarded  with 
planks  of  the  fir  tree,  six  feet  long,  and  three  feet  wide.  A 
frame,  pierced  with  large  holes,  must  be  constructed  of  the 
thin  bamboo  from  which  arrows  are  made.  In  these  holes 
some  reeds  must  be  inserted  ;  then  long  and  large  bamboo 
branches,  stripped  of  their  leaves,  must  be  crossed  above. 
The  cocoon  room  must  be  covered  with  a  frame  work  of 
woven  reeds. 

The  silk  worms  will  then  have  a  place,  where  they  can 
establish  themselves  in  safety  without  fear  of  falling.  When 
the  interior  of  the  cocoon  room  is  well  arranged,  when  it 
affords  the  necessary  depth  and  proper  security,  and  the 
frame  presents  no  interval,  the  silk  worms  must  be  succes- 
sively spread  over  it.  At  first,  the  frame  must  be  a  little  in- 
clined, until  the  worms  are  emptied  of  excremental  matter, 
afterwards  they  must  be  moderately  warmed  with  a  small 
brasier,  or  pan  of  live  coals.  When  they  have  begun  to 
enclose  themselves  in  their  cocoon,  (that  is  to  say :  when 
their  cocoon  will  have  formed  a  light  net  work,)  the  heat 
must  be  increased  by  degrees.  They  must  not  stop  in  the 
middle  of  their  work ;  if  the  temperature  be  a  little  too 
18 


138  ON  REARING 

cold,  they  walk  upon  their  silk  and  cease  to  spin.  When 
it  comes  to  be  reeled  it  will  frequently  break.  In  general, 
one  will  be  obliged  to  have  the  cocoons  boiled,  and  silk 
stuff  made  of  it,  because  it  is  impossible  to  reel  it  from  one 
end  to  the  other. 


THSI-MIN-YAO-CHOU. 


When  the  silk  worms  have  arrived  at  the  age  of  maturity, 
if  it  happens  to  rain,  it  will  injure  the  cocoons  ;  it  will  be 
better  also  to  establish  the  cocoon  rooms  in  the  interior  of 
the  nursery. 


OBSERVATION. 


The  round  and  oblong  cocoons  rooms  must  be  placed 
outside. 


A  parcel  of  small  dry  branches  must  be  laid  upon  the 
frames,  and  the  silk  worms  spread  on  them.  When  that 
operation  is  performed,  they  must  be  again  covered  over 
with  a  bed  of  dry  branches.  One  stage,  or  story,  can  sup- 
port ten  large  frames. 


ANOTHER  METHOD. 


In  place  of  small  dry  branches,  the  stalks  of  plants  may 
be  used,  on  which  the  silk  wrorms  must  be  spread.  The 
frames  must  be  suspended,  between  wooden  pillars,  with 
cords,  or  hooked  sticks.  Several  may  be  arranged  one 
above  another.  When  the  frames  are  suspended,  they  must 
be  moderately  warmed  by  means  of  chafing-dishes  placed 


•c 


v  . . 

.  •  •••+ 


SILK  WORMS.  139 

below.  As  soon  as  the  silk  worms  feel  the  heat,  they  work 
industriously ;  but  if  they  are  affected  by  the  cold  they  will 
work  slowly.  The  frames  must  often  be  visited.  As  soon 
as  they  are  warm  enough,  the  chafing-dishes  must  be  re- 
moved. If  a  cool  air  circulates  above  in  the  cocoon  room, 
(while  the  lower  part  is  warm,)  the  silk  will  not  be  spoiled 
by  the  dampness  produced  by  the  silk  worms ;  the  silk 
worms  that  die,  will  immediately  fall,  and  the  cocoons  of 
the  other  worms  will  not  be  injured  by  coming  in  contact 
with  them ,  the  dung  will  not  adhere  to  the  cocoons,  nor 
produce  any  blemish.  If  the  silk  be  impregnated  with 
dampness,  it  will  be  difficult  to  prepare  it  for  the  dye ;  if 
the  cocoon  be  soiled,  the  silk  will  easily  break ;  if  the 
cocoon  be  defective,  it  will  be  good  for  nothing. 

The  cocoon  rooms  furnished  with  stalks  of  dry  plants, 
are  as  advantageous  as  those  we  have  just  described. 


SAME    WORK. 


There  are  some  countries  where  the  place  for  cocoons  is 
outside,  (in  the  open  air ;)  but  if  in  the  evening  the  air  be- 
comes cold  no  silk  worm  can  form  its  cocoon.  When  the 
cocoon  rooms  are  warmed,  the  silk  will  be  fitter  to  receive 
the  dye  ;  besides  it  acquires  lustre  and  whiteness. 


WOU-PEN-SIN-CHOU. 


The  ground  on  which  the  cocoon  rooms  are  established, 
ought  to  be  high  and  level.  It  must  be  well  aired  in  the 
interior.  Small  branches,  or  dry  stalks  of  plants,  must  be 
spread  there  in  an  equal  manner ;  afterwards  the  silk  worms 
must  be  distributed  there,  leaving  a  proper  distance  between 
them  ;  if  they  are  too  near,  they  will  create  too  much  heat ; 


140  ON  REARING 

if  they  are  crowded,  they  spin  with  difficulty  ;  and,  more- 
over, their  silk  will  be  difficult  to  reel.  The  cocoon  rooms 
must  not  be  established  in  places  exposed  to  the  northeast, 
nor  where  domestic  animals  are  raised ;  neither  under  trees, 
above  a  hole,  nor  near  places  covered  with  manure  or  stag- 
nant waters. 


NONG-SSE-PI-YONG. 


The  following  is  the  manner  of  establishing  the  cocoon 
room  :  A  dry  and  warm  place  must  be  chosen,  in  order  that 
neither  the  cold  nor  dampness  can  penetrate  into  the  interior 
of  the  cocoon  room.  When  the  worms  approach  their  ma- 
turity, a  fire  must  be  lighted  upon  the  ground  where  the  co- 
coon room  is  to  be  located,  until  it  is  perfectly  dry  ;  after- 
wards the  remains  of  the  fire  and  the  ashes  must  be  swept 
away,  and  the  cocoon  room  constructed. 

SAME  WORK. 

Six  diseases  of  silk  worms  are  noted  in  the  cocoon  room  : 

1st.  When  the  silk  worms  dirty  the  cocoon  room  ; 

2d.   When  the  silk  worms  fall  in  the  cocoon  room  ; 

3d.   When  they  move  about  without  spinning  ; 

4th.  When  they  change  in  red  chrysalis  ; 

5th.  When  they  turn  white  and  die  ; 

6th.  When  they  turn  black. 

The  foulness  of  the  cocoon  room  arises  from  portions  of 
leaves  which  the  mature  worms  have  brought  with  them, 
they  ferment  and  produce  a  fatal  moisture. 

The  five  other  diseases  always  result  from  the  moisture 
of  the  ground,  or  the  cold  of  the  exterior  air. 


ROUND  COCOON  ROOMS. 


PLATE  VI. 

Han-chi-tchi-choue. 

The  cocoon  rooms  must  be  established  upon  elevated 
ground  ;  each  of  them  may  contain  silk  worms  of  six  large 
frames.  When  the  silk  worms  have  attained  nine-tenths  of 
their  age,  a  few  leaves  must  be  distributed  to  them,  then 
they  must  be  removed  upon  the  frames  of  the  cocoon  room 
with  baskets  in  the  form  of  sieves.  They  must  be  gently 
handled,  when  they  are  taken  to  be  put  upon  the  frames  in 
the  cocoon  room — they  ought  to  be  at  equal  distances  ;  and 
afterwards  covered  with  small  dry  branches  or  stalks  of  the 
bean  plant.  Other  silk  worms  must  be  disposed  of,  as  were 
the  first,  until  the  third  frame  is  emptied  ;  they  must  then  be 
newly  covered  with  a  bed  of  dry  branches.  After  that  ope- 
ration the  position  of  any  reversed  branches  must  be  cor- 
rected and  straightened,  (that  is  to  say  :  those  of  which  the 
lower  part  is  turned  upward,)  in  order  that  the  silk  worms 
may  ascend ;  they  can  receive  all  the  silk  worms  of  three 
more  frames.  In  covering  the  top  of  the  cocoon  rooms  with 
dry  plants,  a  round  form  is  given  it ;  it  must  be  surrounded 
with  frames  at  the  bottom,  and  covered  at  top  with  straw 
mats  in  the  form  of  a  cone,  so  that  the  top  of  the  cocoon 
room  will  resemble  the  apex  of  a  tent  or  pavilion.  On  the 
approach  of  evening,  the  cocoon  room  must  be  surrounded 


142  ON  REARING 

with  new  straw  mats,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom ;  the  next 
day,  when  the  sun  is  sufficiently  above  the  horizon,  they 
must  be  taken  away.  The  following  night  the  cocoon  room 
must  be  again  surrounded  with  mats.  After  three  days, 
the  work  of  the  cocoons  will  be  finished,  and  straw  mats 
will  be  no  longer  required. 

The  oblong  cocoon  rooms,  called  ma-theou-tso,  ought  to 
be  equally  furnished  with  straw  mats.  The  construction  of 
these  cocoon  rooms  requires  a  greater  quantity  of  materials. 
The  interior  ought  to  be  provided  with  a  stage  to  receive 
the  frames  with  the  silk  worms. 

When  a  person  has  a  large  quantity  of  silk  worms,  large 
oblong  cocoon  rooms  ought  to  be  made  use  of,  called  ma- 
theou-tso.  It  is  best  to  establish  them  in  a  place  with  a 
north  and  south  exposure. 


SAME  WORK. 


During  the  three  days  that  follow  the  installation  of  silk 
worms  in  the  cocoon  room,  between  eight  and  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  the  straw  and  bamboo  mats,  with  which  the 
cocoon  room  is  covered,  must  be  removed,  and  the  silk 
worms  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  until  two  o'clock  in 
the  day  ;  afterwards  it  must  be  covered  up  again  as  before. 
If  the  heat  is  too  strong,  the  cocoon  room  must  be  covered 
with  a  simple  lattice-work  of  reed,  to  protect  the  silk  worms 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  * 


ANOTHER  METHOD. 


If  the  weather  be  rainy  at  the  time  when  the  mature  silk 
worms  are  ready  for  the  cocoon  room,  one  must  be  content- 
ed to  establish  the  cocoon  room,  in  the  silk  room  at  the  bot- 


SILK  WORMS.  143 

torn  of  the  stage.  The  doors  and  windows  must  be  opened, 
in  order  that  the  air  may  circulate  freely.  In  the  morning 
and  evening,  or  if  the  weather  be  cold  or  rainy,  the  doors 
and  windows  must  be  shut,  and  the  room  warmed,  by 
placing  therein  a  chafing-dish  with  dry  dung  well  ignited. 
That  is  better  than  changing  the  worms  of  the  cocoon 
room  at  the  commencement,  or  at  the  middle  of  the  work, 
when,  in  the  first  instance,  they  would  have  been  exposed 
to  the  rain. 


ANOTHER  METHOD. 

Nong-sang-thong-kioue. 

In  the  southern  countries  it  is  the  custom  to  establish  the 
cocoon  room  in  the  house  ;  in  the  North,  they  are  construct- 
ed outside  ;  at  the  South  they  are  placed  in  the  house,  be- 
cause but  few  silk  worms  are  raised,  and  it  is  easier  to  take 
care  of  them,  (literally:  distinguish  ;)  but  that  is  not  practi- 
cable, when  one  has  a  large  quantity  of  silk  worms.  In  the 
northern  countries  the  greater  part  of  the  cocoon  rooms  are 
placed  outside ;  but  it  often  happens,  that  a  multitude  of 
worms  are  stifled  and  crushed ;  thus  the  cocoon  room,  of 
the  South  and  the  North,  have  their  particular  inconveni- 
ences. The  following  observations  are  due  to  a  skilful 
raiser  of  silk  worms. 

In  the  South  and  the  North,  when  there  are  few  silk 
worms,  the  doors  and  windows  of  the  nursery  are  opened, 
and  the  cocoon  room  established  there.  That  method  is 
good,  but  it  must  be  renounced  if  one  has  a  large  quantity 
of  silk  worms. 

In  the  middle  of  the  yard  a  long  shed  must  be  construct- 


144  ON  REARING 

ed,  and  covered  with  dry  Spring  grass,  and  the  cocoon  room 
is  there  established.  All  around  this  shed  shelves  of  planks 
must  be  placed,  where  small  dry  branches  must  be  spread ; 
then  the  silk  worms  must  be  spread  there,  placing  them  at 
proper  distances.  The  shelves  must  be  surrounded  with 
mats  of  rush,  to  protect  the  silk  worms.  Adopting  that 
method,  no  disease  occurs  in  the  cocoon  room.  The  plan 
appears  excellent. 


NONG-TCHING-TSIOUEN-CHOU. 

The  cocoon  rooms  provided  with  stalks  of  dry  plants  are 
much  better  than  those  that  are  now  used.  It  is  for  this 
reason  this  method  is  not  followed.  The  cocoon  rooms, 
placed  outside,  are  only  used  in  the  northern  countries,  and 
in  the  South  the  raising  of  silk  worms  happens  at  the  period 
of  the  rains  called  Mei-yu^  (in  April,)  consequently  it  will 
be  very  difficult  to  employ  this  kind  of  cocoon  rooms  ; 
therefore  (in  the  South)  every  body  is  obliged  to  establish 
the  cocoon  rooms  in  the  interior  of  the  house.  The  cocoon 
rooms  ought  to  be  warmed  with  chafing-dishes  placed 
below,  some  feet  apart. 


SEQ.UEL  TO  THE  ROUND  COCOON  ROOMS. 

In  the  construction  of  the  cocoon  room,  stubble,  dry 
branches,  straw  mats,  &c.,  are  made  use  of.  When  a  per- 
son wishes  to  construct  a  round  cocoon  room,  the  centre 
must  first  be  established  ;  divide  the  circumference  into  five 
parts,  the  middle  whereof  should  be  of  pine  boards.  Plant 
five  poles,  and  tie  them  together  at  the  top,  afterwards  they 


SILK  WORMS.  145 

must  be  surrounded  with  rush  mats:  that  is  called  the  heart ; 
namely  :  the  centre  of  the  cocoon  room.  Then  dry  branches 
must  be  laid  all  around,  against  the  mats,  where  the  silk 
worms  are  to  ascend.  When  the  silk  wrorms  are  placed  in 
the  cocoon  room,  the  lower  part  must  be  surrounded  with 
rush  mats,  and  covered,  high  up,  with  straw,  in  the  form  of 
a  cone,  or  so  as  to  imitate  the  top  of  a  tent. 

These  are  called  touan-tso,  or  round  cocoon  rooms. 


19 


MA-THEOU-TSO, 

OR  OBLONG  COCOON  ROOMS 


PLATE  V. 


Stakes  must  be  planted  at  the  two  ends,  and  joined  by 
cross  pieces,  which  must  be  covered  on  each  side  with  thin 
laths ;  it  is  thus  the  bottom  of  the  cocoon  room  is  con- 
structed. For  the  rest,  the  ordinary  method  must  be  fol- 
lowed. (See  the  commencement  of  the  chapter  on  cocoon 
rooms.) 

These  oblong  cocoon  rooms  are  generally  used  at  the 
North.  I  have  seen  in  the  South,  (says  the  author.)  people 
who  establish  the  cocoon  rooms  in  their  own  houses.  They 
spread  short  stalks  of  dry  plants  upon  the  frames,  that  have 
already  served,  during  the  raising,  and  the  silk  worms  are 
there  installed.  This  proceeding  requires  little  work  and 
care,  and  the  silk  worms  will  not  be  exposed  to  any  of  the 
accidents  which  cause  a  great  number  to  perish  in  the  co- 
coon rooms  placed  outside. 


OBSERVATION. 


The  text  here  repeats  the  description  of  the  cocoon  rooms 
of  the  South,  which  has  been  given  above. 


SILK  WORMS.  147 

The  author  adds :  Such  are  the  cocoon  rooms  generally 
used  in  the  South.  If  the  cocoon  rooms  of  the  South  and 
North  are  compared,  of  which  we  have  spoken  higher  up, 
it  will  be  seen  that  their  size  and  figure,  (that  is  to  say : 
their  round  or  oblong  form)  vary,  according  to  a  large  or 
small  quantity  of  silk  worms.  But  if  these  two  kinds  of 
cocoon  rooms  are  examined  with  care,  it  will  be  seen  that 
they  have  each  their  particular  inconveniences.  In  the 
South,  where  few  silk  worms  are  raised,  the  cocoon  rooms 
are  small  and  narrow.  The  raising  of  silk  worms  in  these 
countries  is  an  amusement ;  therefore,  they  are  not  of  much 
profit. 

The  cocoon  rooms  of  the  North  are  indeed  large,  but 
they  present  serious  defects.  The  accumulation  of  dry 
branches,  (or  stalks  of  plants,)  smothers  a  great  number  of 
silk  worms.  The  rain  often  wets  the  cocoon  rooms,  and 
sometimes  the  wind  also  turns  them  over  ;  added  to  that,  the 
enormous  difference  that  exists  between  the  exterior  and 
the  interior  temperature.  Hence  diseases  are  created  in 
the  cocoon  rooms,  which  considerably  diminish  the^number 
of  cocoons.  But  as  these  customs  are  inveterate,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  reform  them  suddenly.  There  is,  adds  the  Chi- 
nese author,  another  method  which  has  been  communicated 
to  me  by  skilful  raisers  of  the  silk  worms. 

They  calculate  nearly  the  quantity  of  silk  worms  they 
raise,  and  select,  in  the  yard,  a  wide  space.  They  construct 
there  a  light  frame  work,  covered  with  straw  mats,  a  long 
shed,  which  the  remainder  of  the  year,  may  serve  for  other 
uses.  When  the  silk  worms  are  prepared  to  spin,  they  es- 
tablish the  cocoon  room  there.  At  first  they  form  the  lower 
part  of  each  cocoon  room,  and  proportion  it  to  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  shed.  Between  the  two  ranges  of  the  cocoon 


148  ON  REARING 

rooms,  a  sort  of  passage  must  be  left,  large  enough  for  a 
man  to  pass  freely,  and  prevent  the  danger  of  fire.  After- 
wards in  each  cocoon  room,  shelves  of  planks  must  be 
arranged  one  above  the  other,  and  covered  with  dry  branches, 
on  which  the  silk  worms  must  be  spread,  leaving  between 
them  a  proper  space.  When  that  operation  is  terminated 
the  cocoon  room  must  be  surrounded  with  double  mats. 

If  one  has  but  few  silk  worms  and  much  room,  the  doors 
and  windows  of  the  nursery  may  be  opened,  and  the  cocoon 
room  established  there.  That  method  is  excellent.  In  the 
first  place  the  silk  worms  are  well  covered  at  the  top,  and 
they  have  not  the  dampness  of  the  ground  to  fear,  (when 
the  cocoon  rooms  are  placed  outside.)  Added  to  that,  the 
shelves  of  plank,  (or  frames  of  the  stages,)  offer  them  a 
large  and  plain  surface,  where  they  can  work  at  their  ease. 
There  are  some  persons  who  warm  the  cocoon  rooms.  This 
proceeding  is  excellent  to  dry  and  strengthen  the  thread 
which  the  silk  worms  spin  ;  this  improvement  is  one  of  the 
useful  things  which  has  been  borrowed  from  the  cocoon 
rooms  of  the  South  and  the  North.  It  would  be  very  im- 
portant if  every  body  followed  that  method,  which  never 
causes  regret,  and  constantly  offers  every  advantage  to  be 
desired. 


CHOICE  OF  THE  COCOONS. 


THSI-MIN-YAO-CHOU. 

When  a  selection  of  cocoons  is  to  be  made,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  eggs,  those  which  are  found  in  the  middle  of  the 
cocoon  room  must  absolutely  be  chosen.  Those  which  are 
near  the  top  produce  very  little  silk,  (or  a  very  thin  silk ;) 
those  near  the  bottom  produce  eggs  which  will  not  hatch. 


NONG-CHOU. 


As  soon  as  the  frames  have  been  taken  from  the  cocoon 
rooms,  the  floss  of  the  cocoons  ought  to  be  removed  imme- 
diately, so  that  they  may  not  ferment  and  spoil.  If  one  has 
a  large  quantity  of  cocoons,  they  must  be  preserved  under 
beds  of  salt ;  then  the  butterflies  do  not  go  out,  and  the  silk 
will  be  supple,  strong  and  glossy. 

The  following  is  the  manner  of  preserving  the  cocoons  : 
At  first  the  cocoons  must  be  exposed  to  the  sun,  until 
they  are  perfectly  dry.  A  large  earthen  jar  must  be  placed 
in  a  hole  dug  in  the  earth ;  at  the  bottom  of  the  jar  a  mat 
of  bamboo  must  be  spread,  afterwards  it  must  be  covered 
with  large  leaves,  of  the  thong  tree,  (bignonia  tomcntosa.) 
Then  a  layer  must  be  made  of  about  ten  pounds  of  cocoons, 
upon  which  two  ounces  of  salt  must  be  spread ;  they  must 
be  newly  covered  with  leaves  of  the  same  tree.  Thus,  lay- 
ers of  cocoons  must  be  placed  one  over  another,  until  the 


150  ON  REARING 

jar  is  entirely  full.      Then  the  jar  must  be  hermetically 
closed,  by  covering  it  with  clay. 


WOU-PEN-SIN-CHOU. 


When  silk  worms  are  to  be  raised,  the  eggs  to  be  procur- 
ed from  the  cocoons,  must  be  thought  of  before  any  thing 
else.  Now-a-days,  when  the  cocoons  are  collected  it  is  the 
custom  to  keep  them  altogether  upon  the  frames.  Some 
persons  not  having  time  to  reel  all  their  silk,  butterflies  are 
seen  to  go  out  and  lay  eggs  almost  immediately.  The  ac- 
cumulation of  cocoons  produce  a  kind  of  fermentation,  and 
the  heat  causes  the  butterflies  to  hatch  before  the  proper 
period.  This  premature  developement  has  never  any  good 
results,  for  the  butterflies  are  sick  ;  and  from  thence  it  comes 
that  the  silk  worms  produced  from  their  eggs,  are  affected 
by  diseases  from  the  moment  of  their  hatching. 

When  the  cocoon  rooms  are  opened,  (if  one  wishes  to 
have  proper  cocoons  for  reproduction,)  those  must  be  cho- 
sen, which  are  found  in  the  upper  part,  and  which  are  turn- 
ed towards  the  light ;  those  are  strong  and  well  conditioned 
cocoons.  They  ought  to  be  separated,  and  put  in  a  well 
aired  chamber,  and  spread  upon  very  clean  mats,  a  layer  of 
the  thickness  of  a  single  cocoon  only.  After  the  cocoons 
have  rested  upon  the  frames  the  necessary  time,  for  the  me- 
tamorphosis of  the  chrysalis,  the  butterflies  go  out  them- 
selves without  being  affected  by  the  diseases  which  we  have 
described  above. 


SAME  WORK. 


A  large  number  of  persons  are  required  to  select,  at  the 
same  time,  all  the  cocoons  which  may  be  wanted  ;  they 


SILKWORMS.  151 

must  be  spread  in  beds  of  the  thickness  of  a  single  cocoon, 
and  they  must  be  preserved  in  a  cool  place.  The  butter- 
flies will  come  out  so  very  late  that  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  hurry  the  reeling  of  the  silk. 


HOANG-SING-TSENG,    SAYS  : 

The  cocoons  which  are  oblong,  brilliant  and  white,  yield 
very  fine  silk.  The  cocoons,  which  are  large,  obscure,  and 
of  a  blue  color,  like  the  skin  of  an  onion,  furnish  a  coarse 
silk.  The  floss  must  be  removed  which  covers  the  silk. — 
The  cocoons  which  are  moistened  in  the  inside,  by  the 
humors  of  the  silk  worms,  are  called  in-kien,  that  is  to 
say :  dark  cocoons. 

Those  which  are  thin  and  mixed,  yield  a  common  and 
coarse  silk.  The  cocoons  must  not  be  left  exposed  for  a 
long  time,  to  the  rays  of  the  sun ;  otherwise,  the  silk  will 
be  burnt,  and  it  will  be  difficult  to  reel  it.  The  same  thing 
happens  when  perfume  is  burnt  in  the  room  where  the 
cocoons  are. 

The  large  cocoons  are  called  tsou-kong,  that  is  to  say : 
coarse  work. 


HAN-CHI-TCHI-CHOUE, 


When  the  silk  worms  have  spun  their  cocoons,  those 
which  are  firm,  and  whose  surface  has  large  stripes  must  be 
chosen  ;  they  can  be  quickly  reeled.  For  that  they  must 
be  exposed  to  the  steam  of  boiling  water,  and  afterwards 
reeled,  by  placing  them  in  a  basin  filled  with  lukewarm 
water. 


1 52  ON  REARING 

OBSERVATION  OF  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

The  expression  of  the  text,  ling-pen,  literally  signifies 
basin  of  cold  water.  The  sense  I  have  thought  proper  to 
adopt,  "(lukewarm  water,)  is  taken  from  a  positive  passage 
of  Book  xxv,  folio  8,  verse,  line  2." 

The  cocoons  which  are  thin,  and  of  which  the  surface 
has  fine  stripes,  can  never  be  easily  reeled.  They  must  not 
be  exposed  to  the  vapor  of  boiling  water.  They  must  be 
reeled  by  placing  them  in  a  basin  filled  with  warm  water. 

SAME    WORK. 

Manner  of  Killing  the  Chrysalides  by  means  of  the  Vapor  of 
Boiling  Water. — Plate  IX. 

OBSERVATION  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

"  In  the  Chinese  Encyclopedia,  entitled  San-thiai-thou- 
hoei,  it  is  recommended  to  throw  in  the  kettle  two  ounces  of 
salt,  and  one  of  oil ;  the  author  assures  us,  that  it  prevents 
the  silk  from  drying,  and  renders  it  easier  to  reel." 


Three  bamboo  baskets  must  be  taken,  with  a  cover  made 
of  soft  straw,  and  it  must  be  placed  upon  the  top  of  a  kettle 
of  boiling;  water.  Place  two  baskets  on  the  cover,  where 
from  three  to  four  inches  of  cocoons  must  be  spread.  The 
temperature  must  be  frequently  tried,  by  putting  the  back 
of  the  hand  on  the  cocoons  of  the  upper  frame.  If  the  hand 
cannot  endure  the  heat,  the  under  basket  must  be  drawn 
away,  and  another  put  on  the  first.  The  steam  must  not 
be  too  powerful,  or  it  will  soften  the  silk  too  much  ;  neither 


SILK  WORMS.  153 

must  it  be  too  weak,  otherwise,  the  butterflies  will  pierce 
the  COCOODS. 

If  the  back  of  the  hand  cannot  endure  the  heat,  the  tem- 
perature of  the  water  is  at  the  proper  degree  of  heat  for  the 
end  proposed.  Then  the  baskets  are  to  be  carried  to  the 
silk  room,  and  the  cocoons  spread  on  a  frame  ;  they  must 
be  lightly  stirred  with  the  hand.  If  the  cocoons  fill  the 
frame,  and  commence  to  form  a  heap,  they  must  be  sepa- 
rated, and  a  portion  spread  (that  is  to  say :  one  half,)  upon 
another  frame. 

Wait  until  the  cocoons  are  entirely  cooled  ;  afterwards 
they  must  be  covered  with  small  willow  branches. 

All  the  cocoons  must  be  steamed  the  same  day ;  for  if  all 
the  moths  be  not  killed,  those  of  the  remaining  cocoons  will 
come  out  the  next  day. 


NONG-SANG-THONG-KIOUE. 


When  one  has  a  large  quantity  of  cocoons,  and  they  can- 
not be  reeled  at  once,  they  must  be  preserved  under  layers 
of  salt,  and  then  the  butterflies  cannot  go  out.  That  me- 
thod is  generally  followed  in  the  South,  but  a  great  number 
of  earthen  jars  are  required. 

I  have  read  the  work  entitled,  Nong-sang-tchi-kioue, 
which  is  used  in  the  North,  and  the  following  is  what  I  have 
found  on  this  subject : 

When  the  cocoons  are  gathered,  the  best  way  is  to  reel 
them  immediately  ;  but  if  it  cannot  be  done  in  consequence 
of  not  having  a  sufficient  number  of  laborers,  the  chrysali- 
des must  be  killed,  and  the  cocoons  reeled  at  leisure. 

There  are  three  ways  of  killing  the  chrysalis : 

1  st.  By  exposing  the  cocoons  to  the  heat  of  the  sun  : 
20 


154  ON  REARING 

2d.  By  wetting  them  with  salt  water  ; 

3d.  By  exposing  them,  in  bamboo  baskets,  to  the  steam 
of  boiling  water. 

This  last  method  is  the  best,  but  there  are  many  persons 
who  do  not  know  how  to  practise  it.  The  drying  in  the 
sun  injures  the  cocoons  ;  the  surest  plan  is  to  preserve  the 
cocoons  in  earthen  jars,  under  alternate  layers  of  salt  and 
leaves. 


NONG-TCHING-TSIOUEN-CHOU. 


When  salt  is  put  on  the  cocoons,  it  moistens  them,  and 
penetrates  to  the  bottom.  Now-a-days,  many  persons  only 
lay  the  cocoons  in  earthen  jars.  They  tie  up  some  salt  in 
bundles  of  one  or  two  ounces,  in  paper  of  bamboo  bark,  or 
leaves  of  the  nympha.  That  method  is  equally  good,  but 
the  top  of  the  jar  must  be  hermetically  shut,  so  that  air  can- 
not penetrate  ;  for  that  purpose  clay,  mixed  with  salt,  must 
be  used. 


•i 


SUPPLEMENT 


TO  THE  CHINESE  TREATISE 


UPON  THE  RAISING  OF  SILK  WORMS. 


.  OT 


SUPPLEMENT 

TO  THE  CHINESE  TREATISE 

. 
ON  THE  RAISING  OF  SILK  WORMS. 

I   lo 


EGGS    OF    THE    SILK    WORMS. 


Each  chrysalis  changes  to  a  moth.  After  the  expiration 
of  three  days,  it  pierces  the  cocoon  and  comes  out.  The 
male  and  female  resemble  each  other.  The  female  remains 
immoveable,  the  male  flies  about  in  search  of  the  female, 
to  whom  he  unites  himself.  After  having  been  united  one 
day  and  a  half,  he  quits  her.  As  soon  as  the  male  butterfly 
has  left  the  female,  he  withers  and  dies.  The  female  im- 
mediately lays  her  eggs.  Some  persons  make  the  females 
lay  their  eggs  upon  paper,  (made  of  the  bark  of  the  mul- 
berry tree,)  others  on  a  piece  of  linen.  Every  country  has 
its  customs.  In  the  district  of  Kia  and  Hou,  a  thick  paper 
is  made  use  of,  manufactured  of  the  bark  of  the  mulberry 
tree.  The  following  year,  the  same  leaves  of  paper  may 
be  used. 

A  female  butterfly  lays  about  two  hundred  eggs,  which 
adhere  to  the  paper ;  the  eggs  are  distributed  over  the  paper 
in  an  equal  manner,  without  being  accumulated  together. 


158  ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS. 

The  matron  of  the  silk  worms,  (she  who  superintends  the 
raising,)  must  preserve  them  in  order  to  hatch  them  the 

following;  year. 
7  J 


ON  BATHING  THE  EGGS  OF  SILK  WORMS. 

We  only  describe  the  methods  which  are  followed  in  the 
districts  of  Kia  and  Hou.  In  the  former,  the  sheets  of 
paper  covered  with  eggs  are  exposed  to  the  dew  of  the 
heavens,  or  else  they  are  washed  in  lime  water.  In  the 
latter  district  salt  water  is  generally  used.  Two  chings, 
(two  tenths  of  a  bushel)  of  water,  that  runs  from  heaps  of 
salt  must  be  taken  and  poured  in  a  vessel,  and  a  sheet  of 
paper  covered  with  eggs  must  be  put  there  to  bathe ;  the 
same  is  done  with  the  lime  water.  The  twelfth  day  of  the 
last  month  of  the  year,  the  leaves  must  be  immersed,  and 
soaked  until  the  twenty-fourth  of  the  month,  that  is  to  say  : 
for  twelve  whole  days,  after  which  they  must  be  taken  out. 
They  must  be  drained  and  dried  in  a  mild  heat ;  afterwards 
they  must  be  preserved  with  care  in  a  box.  They  ought 
not  to  be  shut  up  together  when  the  air  is  moist. 

The  eggs  will  hatch  at  the  time  called  Thsing-ming,  (the 
5th  of  April.) 

Those  persons  who  expose  the  eggs  to  the  dew,  do  it  at 
the  same  time  with  those  we  have  just  spoken  of.  They 
put  the  sheets  of  paper  in  wicker  baskets,  which  are  hung 
up  at  the  four  angles  of  the  roof,  and  each  one  is  loaded 
with  a  small  stone  to  retain  them  in  place.  They  are  thus 
abandoned  to  the  frost,  snow,  wind,  rain,  thunder,  and 
lightning.  They  must  be  taken  down  at  the  end  of  twelve 
days ;  afterwards,  they  are  preserved  in  a  box,  as  we  have 


SUPPLEMENT.  159 

seen  above,  and  kept  there  until  the  time  called  Thsing- 
ming,  (the  5th  of  April.) 

The  latter  eggs,  that  is  to  say  :  the  eggs  of  Autumn, 
which  proceed  from  a  second  laying  in  the  year,  ought  not 
to  be  washed. 


PRECAUTION  FOR  PRESERVING  THE  EGGS. 

A  small  frame  must  be  made  with  four  pieces  of  bamboo, 
and  leaves  placed  upon  them.  Suspend  it  upon  an  elevated 
joist,  where  it  will  be  exposed  to  the  air,  and  sheltered  from 
the  sun.  It  will  be  dangerous  to  permit  the  smoke  of  the 
oil  of  thong,  (bignonia  tomentosa,)  or  fumes  from  charcoal 
to  circulate  about  the  leaves  containing  the  eggs.  In  the 
winter  months,  do  not  expose  the  eggs  to  the  reflection  from 
the  sun,  which  has  the  effect  of  rendering  them  empty  and 
steril.  When  a  great  deal  of  snow  has  fallen,  the  leaves 
must  be  hastily  taken  in.  The  next  day,  when  the  snow 
has  passed,  they  may  be  suspended  as  before.  The  last 
month  of  the  year  must  be  waited  for  to  wash  them,  and 
deposite  them  in  the  box. 


DIFFERENT    KINDS  OF  SILK  WORMS. 

There  are  some  early  silk  worms,  (silk  worms  proceeding 
from  eggs  laid  in  the  Spring  of  the  year,)  and  the  late  silk 
worms,  (worms  proceeding  from  the  eggs  of  Autumn.) 
Every  year  the  latter  hatch  five  or  six  days  before  the 
others,  (that  is  to  say :  they  take  five  or  six  days  less  to 
hatch ;  they  also  form  their  cocoons  much  sooner,  (that  is 
to.  say:  they  arrive  at  maturity  much  quicker;)  but  these 


160  ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS, 

cocoons  are  of  a  description  one  third  lighter  than  the 
others.  When  the  first  are  occupied  in  making  their  co- 
coons, the  others  have  already  changed  into  butterflies,  and 
have  laid  new  eggs ;  which  permits  a  second  raising,  that 
is  to  say  :  to  employ  those  eggs  in  rearing  a  second  crop, 
the  same  year. 

(The  Chinese  author  adds  in  a  note  that  the  chrysalides 
of  the  late  silk  worms,  must  not  be  eaten.) 

When  the  leaves  covered  with  the  eggs  of  the  silk  worms 
are  washed  according  to  the  three  customary  methods,  care 
must  be  taken  to  note  the  manner  each  leaf  has  been  treated, 
for  if  a  mistake  occurs,  or  if,  for  example,  the  eggs  that 
have  been  exposed  to  the  dew,  be  soaked  in  salt  water,  all 
the  eggs  will  become  empty  and  steril. 

Only  two  colors  are  distinguishable  in  cocoons :  white 
a'nd  yellow.  The  country  of  Tchouen-cken,  and  that  of 
Tsin-iu,  only  furnish  yellow  cocoons  without  any  mixture 
of  white ;  the  districts  of  Kia  and  of  Hou,  only  furnish 
white  cocoons  without  any  mixture  of  yellow. 

If  a  white  male  moth  copulates  with  a  yellow  female,  the 
silk  worms  hatched  from  that  union  will  form  a  cocoon 
which  will  participate  of  those  two  colors* 

The  yellow  silk*  can  be  whitened  by  washing  it,  and 
having  it  soaked  in  lard  taken  from  pork  kidneys ;  but 
there  are  two  colors  which  the  dyers  cannot  make  it  take : 
one  is  called  piao-pe,  (a  greenish  white  color,  like  that  of 
the  fruit  of  the  pear  or  almond  tree,)  and  peach  blossom 
color. 

Cocoons  are  of  various  forms.  The  cocoons  of  the  late 
silk  worms,  (worms  of  Autumn,)  resemble  a  long  gourd, 

\%J? 

*  M.  Darcet  has  bleached  some  yellow  cocoons  by  means  of  pork  fat.     (St  J.) 


SUPPLEMENT.  16! 

the  cocoons  of  the  silk  worms,  of  which  the  eggs  have  been 
exposed  to  the  dew,  are  pointed  and  long,  like  pistachio 
nuts.  There  are  some  round  and  flat,  like  peach  kernels. 
There  is  another  kind  of  silk  worms,  which  do  not  refuse 
leaves  soiled  with  mud.  They  are  called  tsien-tsan,  that 
is  to  say  :  despised  silk  worms,  or  those  that  are  not  es- 
teemed ;  they  yield  a  large  quantity  of  silk. 

There  are  some  silk  worms  that  are  entirely  white,  speck- 
led, perfectly  black,  and  striped  with  brilliant  colors  ;  but  all 
give  the  same  silk.  Now-a-days,  in  poor  houses,  it  is  the 
custom  to  couple  an  early  male,  (male  Spring  butterfly) 
with  a  late  female ;  (that  is  to  say  :  proceeding  from  the 
Autumn  eggs:)  eggs  are  obtained  from  them  which  produce 
silk  worms  of  a  very  remarkable  species. 

The  wild  silk  worms  form  their  cocoons,  of  themselves, 
that  is  to  say :  without  the  assistance  of  the  cocoon  room. 
They  come  from  Tsing-tcheou,  of  Y-chou'i,  etc.  The  gar- 
ments made  with  their  silk,  are  neither  injured  by  rain,  dirt, 
nor  by  oil. 

When  the  female  butterfly  has  come  out,  it  can  imme- 
diately fly.  Its  eggs  are  not  deposited  on  paper.  In  other 
countries  wild  silk  worms  are  found,  but  they  are  rarer 
there  than  in  the  two  places  above  named. 


FEEDING  OF  THE   SILK  WORMS. 


Three  days  after  the  time  called  Thsing-ming,  (the  8th 
of  April,)  the  silk  worms  hatch  without  requiring  the  heat  of 
garments  or  blankets.  The  nursery  for  the  silk  worms 
ought  to  face  to  the  southeast.  The  interior  walls  are 
papered  to  stop  up  any  cracks  through  which  the  air  might 


162  ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS. 

penetrate.  When  it  is  cold,  the  silk  worms  must  be  warmed 
with  chafing-dishes,  filled  with  live*  coals.  Whenever  the 
young  silk  worms  are  fed,  tender  leaves  cut  in  small  shreds 
must  be  distributed  to  them.  In  order  not  to  injure  the 
knife,  the  wooden  block,  (or  the  table,)  must  be  covered 
with  rice  or  wheat  straw.  When  the  leaves  are  gathered, 
they  must  be  put  in  an  earthen  jar,  for  fear  the  wind  may 
dry  them. 

Before  the  second  moulting,  when  the  silk  worms  are 
to  be  changed  from  the  frames,  they  must  be  raised  with  a 
small  bamboo  stick,  of  which  the  extremity  is  rounded. 
But  after  the  second  moulting,  they  can  be  taken  up  with 
the  fingers.  The  changing  of  silk  worms  is  a  painful  and 
assiduous  work.  Lazy  persons,  in  changing  the  frames, 
accumulate  a  large  quantity  of  leaves  upon  the  worms. 
These  leaves,  mixed  with  dirt,  and  dampness,  produce  a 
deleterious  fermentation,  which  causes  a  multitude  of  silk 
worms  to  die. 

When  the  silk  worms  are  disposed  to  moult  all  together, 
they  do  not  moult  until  after  having  thrown  around  them 
some  threads  of  silk,  which  aids  them  to  disembarrass 
themselves  from  their  skin.  Those  who  remove  them  to 
other  frames  ought  to  pick  up  with  much  care  the  leaves 
on  which  they  rest,  and  only  give  them  those  that  are  per- 
fectly clean.  For  if,  in  awakening  from  their  torpid  state, 
they  should  eat  a  single  mouthful  of  the  leaves,  where  the 
threads  of  silk  are  pasted,  they  swell  and  die  immediately. 

After  the  third  moulting,  if  it  be  very  hot  weather,  the 
silk  worms  must  be  hastily  removed  into  a  cool  and  spa- 
cious room.  Care  must  also  be  taken  to  shelter  them 
from  the  wind.  In  general,  after  the  great  moulting,  (after 
the  third  moulting,)  the  frames  must  be  changed  after  twelve 


SUPPLEMENT.  163 

feedings.     If  they  are  assiduously  taken  care  of,  a  large 
quantity  of  silk  will  be  obtained. 


OF  THINGS  THE  SILK  WORMS  TEAR. 

The  author  gives  nearly  the  same  advice  as  has  been 
read  before,  page  121. 

He  adds  the  following  observations : 

The  silk  worms  particularly  fear  the  southwest  wind. 
When  it  blows  with  force,  if  care  be  not  taken  to  shut  the 
windows  and  blinds,  the  silk  worms  from  all  the  frames  will 
sometimes  be  lost.  Whenever  a  disagreeable  odour  is  smelt 
in  the  silk  room,  leaves  of  withered  mulberry  trees  must  be 
burnt  to  dispel  it. 


OF   MULBERRY  LEAVES. 


All  soils  are  favorable  for  the  cultivation  of  mulberry 
trees.  In  the  districts  of  Kia  and  Hou,  mulberry  trees  are 
reproduced  by  layers.  By  the  aid  of  bamboo  stakes,  the 
lateral  branches  of  mulberry  trees  are  brought  by  degrees 
to  the  ground.  In  the  Winter  months,  they  are  covered 
with  earth.  In  the  following  Spring,  when  the  roots  are 
formed,  the  layers  must  be  separated  from  the  parent 
branches,  and  planted  elsewhere.  The  sap  of  the  tree  flows 
into  and  concentrates  in  the  leaves,  and  the  mulberry  tree 
no  longer  bears  blossoms  or  fruit. 

When  leaves  are  wanted,  they  must  be  gathered  by  cut- 
ting them  with  a  pair  of  scissors.  As  soon  as  the  mulberry 
tree  has  obtained  the  height  of  seven  or  eight  feet,  the  top 
must  be  lopped  off,  and  the  leaves  then  grow  with  greater 


164  ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS. 

abundance.  The  branches  can  be  drawn  towards  the  per- 
son gathering  them,  who  cuts  them,  and  afterwards  picks 
the  leaves.  It  is  not  necessary  to  make  use  of  a  ladder  or 
to  ascend  the  tree.  .£;??. 

The  following  is  the  method  that  must  be  followed  to 
propagate  mulberry  trees  by  seed.  Towards  the  time  call- 
ed Li-hia,  (the  6th  of  May,)  when  the  fruit  of  these  trees 
is  purple  and  ripe,  they  must  be  gathered,  crushed,  and 
soaked  in  yellow  clayey  water,  afterwards  it  must  be  sown 
and  watered,  on  the  surface  of  the  soil.  In  the  Autumn  of 
the  same  year,  the  young  mulberry  plants  will  be  a  foot 
high.  They  must  be  transplanted  the  following  year.  If 
they  are  manured  and  watered  carefully,  they  will  grow 
rapidly.  If  among  them  some  are  found  bearing  fruit  and 
blossoms,  their  leaves  will  be  thin  and  not  abundant.  There 
are  also  some  mulberry  trees  called  koa-scmg,  that  is  to  say  : 
flowering  mulberry  trees ;  their  leaves  are  very  thin  and 
unfit  for  the  nourishment  of  silk  worms. 

The  grafted  mulberry  trees  bear  thick  and  nourishing 
leaves.  There  are  also  leaves  produced  by  the  tree  of  tche  ; 
use  is  made  of  them  to  supply  the  want  of  mulberry  leaves. 
I  have  not  seen,  says  the  Chinese  author,  the  trees  of  tche, 
in  the  province  of  Tche-kiang,  but  these  trees  are  very 
numerous  in  the  province  of  Sse-lchuen.  In  poor  families 
they  are  given  to  the  silk  worms  when  the  mulberry  leaves 
are  exhausted.  Strings  for  the  bow  and  guitar  ought  to  be 
made  of  the  silk  of  worms  which  have  been  fed  on  leaves 
of  tche.  Their  cocoons  are  called  ki-kien.  That  expres- 
sion implies,  that  the  silk  obtained  from  it  is  flexible  and 
strong. 

Whenever  the  leaves  are  gathered,  scissors  must  abso- 
lutely be  used.  The  best  are  those  from  the  village  of 


SUPPLEMENT.  1'65 

Thong-kiang,  which  belongs  to  the  district  of  Kia.     In 
the  other  villages  it  is  impossible  to  procure-  any  as  sharp. 


MANNER  OF  CUTTING  THE  BRANCHES. 

The  branches  of  a  new  shoot  produce,  the  next  month,  a 
greater  quantity  of  leaves.  By  cutting  a  large  number  of 
branches,  the  gathering  of  the  leaves  is  rendered  easier. 
The  leaves  of  the  second  pushing  serve  in  the  second  month 
of  Summer,  to  feed  the  late,  or  Autumnal  silk  worms.  Then 
one  must  be  contented  to  gather  the  leaves,  and  the  branch- 
es must  not  be  cut.  When  the  second  leaves  have  been 
gathered,  the  third  growth  will  push  in  the  Autumn. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Tche-kiang,  leave  them 
to  fall  after  frost.  They  gather  them  one  by  one,  and  em- 
ploy them  for  the  nourishment  of  sheep.  These  sheep  yield 
an  abundant  supply  of  wool,  which  is  very  profitable. 


OF  LEAVES  THAT  ARE  INJURIOUS  TO  SILK  WORMS. 

After  the  great  moulting,  that  is  to  say  :  the  third  moult- 
ing, all  the  worms  eagerly  eat  the  damp  leaves.  Those  that 
have  been  gathered  during  rainy  weather  may  be  spread 
upon  the  ground,  and  given  to  the  silk  worms.  If  the  leaves 
which  have  been  gathered  in  clear  weather  are  moistened 
with  water,  and  given  to  the  worms,  their  silk  will  have  a 
lustre  and  brilliancy. 

But  when  the  silk  worms  have  not  undergone  their  third 
moulting,  if  the  leaves  are  gathered  in  rainy  weather,  they 
must  be  suspended  with  a  cord  under  the  projection  of  the 


166  ON  REARING  BILK  WORMS. 

roof,  where  they  will  be  well  exposed  to  the  air.  From  time 
to  time  the  cord  must  be  shaken,  until  the  air  has  perfectly 
dried  them  ;  but  if  they  are  dried  with  the  palm  of  the  hand 
they  will  become  warm  and  lose  their  lustre.  In  the 
end  the  color  given  to  the  silk  will  not  fail  to  tarnish  and 
fade. 

Whenever  the  worms  are  fed  before  their  moulting,  it  is 
very  important  to  fill  them  well  ;  but  when  they  recover 
from  their  moulting,  they  can,  without  inconvenience,  wait 
half  a  day  before  being  fed.  The  damp  leaves  which  are 
gathered  in  rainy  weather  are  injurious  to  the  silk  worms. 
If  then  there  is  any  fog  in  the  morning,  the  leaves  must  not 
be  gathered,  but  wait  until  the  mist  has  disappeared.  Then 
the  leaves  may  be  gathered  whether  the  weather  be  clear  or 
rainy.  If  the  leaves  are  wet  with  dew,  they  ought  not  to 
be  gathered  until  they  have  been  dried  by  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun. 


DISEASES  OF  THE  SILK  WORMS. 


The  silk  worms  often  contract  diseases  while  yet  in  the 
egg.  After  they  are  hatched,  it  depends  on  man  to  prevent 
those  which  arise  from  dampness,  heat  and  accumulation  of 
the  worms.  When  the  worms  are  changed  from  the  frames, 
at  the  time  of  their  first  sleep,  that  is  to  say  :  after  the 
first  moulting,  and  varnished  baskets  are  used  for  that  ope- 
ration, they  must  not  be  covered,  in  order  to  allow  the 
dampness  in  which  they  abound  to  evaporate. 

Whenever  a  silk  worm  is  on  the  point  of  falling  sick,  the 
top  of  its  head  becomes  brilliant,  and  all  its  body  takes  a 
yellow  tint.  Its  head  gradually  grows  larger,  and  its  tail 


SUPPLEMENT.  167 

becomes  thinner.  If  at  the  time  when  the  silk  worms  enter 
all  together  upon  the  moulting,  there  are  some  that  move 
about,  and  do  not  sleep,  or  that  take  little  nourishment 
when  all  the  others  eat  with  appetite,  it  is  a  symptom  of 
sickness.  They  must  be  quickly  removed,  for  fear  they 
will  corrupt  all  the  others  by  their  contact.  Generally,  a 
very  healthy  silk  worm  sleeps  upon  the  leaves.  Those  that 
remain  under  the  leaves  are  weak  and  lazy  worms,  that 
make  a  very  thin  cocoon,  or  rather  that  do  not  know  the 
art  of  forming  it.  Those  that  throw  their  silk  carelessly 
and  form  too  large  a  cocoon,  are  stupid,  (sic,)  and  not  lazy 
worms. 


MEANS  OF  KNOWING  THE  SILK  WORMS  THAT  ARE  MATURE  ENOUGH 

TO  SPIN. 

When  the  silk  worms  have  sufficiently  eaten  of  the  leaves, 
it  is  very  important  to  know  the  precise  time  when  they  are 
ready  for  spinning.  The  silk  worms  generally  hatch  be- 
tween eight  and  ten  o'clock,  it  also  commonly  happens  that 
at  the  same  period  of  the  day  they  are  ripe  enough  to  spin 
their  cocoons. 

When  a  silk  worm  is  mature,  the  two  glands  at  the  bot- 
tom of  its  throat  are  clear  and  transparent.  If  they  are  too 
young  by  one-tenth,  when  they  are  put  in  the  cocoon  room, 
they  will  give  very  little  silk ;  if  they  are  too  old  by  one- 
tenth,  and  they  commence  to  let  threads  of  silk  escape,  they 
will  never  fail  to  make  a  thin  cocoon.  A  well  practised  eye 
is  required  to  seize  them  at  a  proper  time.  Those  persons 
endowed  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  subject,  are  never 
deceived  respecting  a  single  silk  worm.  It  is  extremely 


]68  ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS. 

difficult  to  take,  at  the  proper  time,  the  black  silk  worms, 
because  the  transparency  that  announces  their  maturity,  can- 
not be  perceived. 

«  ••'    ?J  f.',;jij 

OBSERVATION  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

From  another  Chinese  author  we  read  : 
When  the  silk  worms  have  finished  all  their  moultings, 
and  begin  to  assume  a  bluish   color,  it  is  a  sign  that  they 

are  mature  enough  to  spin  their  cocoons. 

i 

.    .  •  .  ,        • 


FORMATION  OF  THE  COCOONS. 


COCOON  ROOMS   CALLED  CHAN-PO,  USED  IN  THE  DISTRICTS  OF 
KIA  AND  HOU. 

OBSERVATION  OF  THE  TRANSLATOR. 

t  i  •     .-..  -~»,:ji  • 

.6)16  v  I  oi  j(fjj>no4[i"ii:  .  V'kVi"  fei  t» 

The  Chinese  expression,  chan-po,  signifies  a  frame  co- 
vered with  small  protuberances  (literally,  hillocks).  This 
last  word  denotes  uncovered  cones,  where  the  silk  worms 
ought  to  ascend.  See  PLATE  No.  7. 

The  most  perfect  cocoon  rooms  are  those  that  are  call- 
ed eh&tn-poi  and  which  are  used  in  the  districts  of  Kia  and 
Hou. 

In  other  countries  the  silk  is  not  dried  by  fire  (at  the 
moment  it  is  spun).  The  silk  worms  are  allowed  to  spin 
between  rice  stalks,  or  in  the  middle  of  a  box.  The  fire 
does  not  penetrate  the  thread  of  the  silk  worm,  and  the  air 
does  not  cool  it.  For  that  reason,  the  taffetas,  that  are 
manufactured  in  the  districts  of  Tckang-tan  and  Ju-cho 


SUPPLEMENT.  169 

easily  rot  by  washing.  As  to  the  garments  woven  of  the 
silk  that  the  districts  of  Kia  and  Hou  produce,  they  can 
bear  a  hundred  washings  without  the  substance  of  the  silk 
losing  any  of  its  strength  and  quality.  The  following  is 
the  manner  of  constructing  the  cocoon  rooms: 

The  frames  must  be  woven  of  split  bamboo  reeds,  and 
placed  upon  a  stage,  supported  on  each  side  by  wooden 
pillars  at  the  height  of  six  feet.  At  the  bottom  of  this 
frame,  chafing-dishes,  filled  with  charcoal,  must  be  placed 
at  the  distance  of  four  or  five  feet  apart.  When  the  silk 
worms  are  put  on  the  frame,  only  a  little  fire  is  required  to 
induce  them  to  work.  As  the  silk  worms  like  the  heat, 
they  immediately  go  to  work,  and  are  no  longer  seen  to 
climb  or  move  about.  When  the  cocoon  is  commenced, 
and  forms  a  light  net  work,  half  a  pound  of  lighted  coal 
must  be  added  to  each  chafing-dish.  As  the  silk  worms 
throw  their  silk,  it  dries,  and  immediately  hardens;  hence 
it  comes,  that  for  a  long  time  it  retains  its  strength.  It  is 
not  good  to  cover  the  cocoon  room  with  a  plank  roof:  a 
cool  air  must  circulate  in  the  upper  part,  whilst  the  lower 
must  be  warmed  by  fire  in  chafing-dishes.  Whenever  the 
upper  part  of  the  cocoon  room  is  warmed,  the  butterflies 
cannot  lay  good  eggs.  When  eggs  are  desired  the  cocoon 
room  must  be  warmed  in  the  lower  part,  as  the  plate 
indicates. 

The  small  elevations  (cones)  which  are  placed  on  the 
frames,  are  made  with  rice  or  wheat  straw,  cut  the  same 
length,  and  twisted  with  the  hand;  afterwards  they  must 
be  fixed  on  the  frame.  A  great  deal  of  strength  is  required 
in  the  hands  to  twist  the  straw  of  these  cones.  As  the  frame 
of  this  cocoon  room  is  composed  of  bamboo  reeds,  woven 
together,  and  sufficiently  scattered  between  them,  a  bed  of 
22 


170  ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS. 

short  straw  must  be  made  there,  to  prevent  the  silk  worms 
from  falling  to  the  ground,  or  in  the  fire. 


, 

\        HARVEST    OF    THE  COCOONS. 

At  the  expiration  of  three  days  the  work  of  the  cocoons 
is  finished  ;  then  the  frames  must  be  taken  down,  and  the 
cocoons  picked  tip*  The  silk  that  floats  around  the  cocoon 
is  called  sse-kouang  (it  is  the  floss  silk).  The  old  women 
of  the  district  of  Hou  sell  it  very  cheap  ;  a  hundred  sapecks 
(seventy- five  cents)  a  pound.  It  is  removed  by  the  aid  of  a 
piece  of  copper  coin,  which  must  be  held  with  the  three 
first  fingers  of  the  hand. 

"     This  floss  is  spun,  and  common  stuff  manufactured  from 
it,  called  hou-tcheou. 

When  the  cocoons  are  stripped  of  the  floss  it  is  necessary 
to  spread  them  out  on  large  frames,  placed  upon  the  shelves  ; 
they  remain  there  until  they  are  reeled  (if  it  can  be  done 
soon  after  the  harvest).  If  the  cocoons  should  be  shut  up 
in  those  small  chests  (or  trunks)  which  are  used  in  the 
kitchen,  they  would  rot  by  the  dampness  produced  by  the 
chrysalides,  and  the  silk  would  break  every  moment  in  reel- 
ing it. 


MEANS  OF  GIVING  STRENGTH  TO  THE  SILK. 

What  follows,  we  find  in  the  article  which  treats  of  em- 
broidering. 

Whenever  a  person  wishes  to  embroider  flowers,  or  orna- 
ments in  tissue,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  make  the  chain 


SUPPLEMENT.  171 

with  the  silk  of  the  provinces  of  Kia  and  Hou  (see  above, 
the  cocoon  room,  called  chan-po}.  That  silk  has  been  dried 
twice,  that  is  to  say:  while  spinning,  and  afterwards  in  reel- 
ing from  the  basin.  It  is  not  to  be  feared  that  the  threads 
of  that  chain  will  break  during  the  tissue  work. 


Extract  from  the  same  Work,  (fol  31,  verse  L,  4.) 

The  following  is  the  manner  of  obtaining  excellent  silk; 
it  is  expressed  in  six  words : 

1st.  Tchou-kheou-kan;  that  is  to  say,  the  silk  must  be 
dried  when  it  comes  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  insect.  For 
that  purpose  chafing-dishes  with  small  coals  must  be  placed 
at  the  bottom  of  the  frame.  See  PLATE  7. 

2d.  Tchou-choui-kan ;  that  is  to  say,  the  silk  must  be 
dried  when  it  comes  out  of  the  water.  When  the  silk  is 
reeled,  two  small  chafing-dishes  must  be  placed  five  or  six 
inches  from  the  reel,  each  containing  four  or  five  ounces  of 
lighted  coal.  The  rapid  movement  of  the  wheel  produces 
the  effect  of  wind.  It  gives  activity  to  the  fire,  and  causes 
the  thread  that  is  reeled  to  dry  rapidly.  If  the  weather  is 
clear  and  bright,  and  a  great  deal  of  air  circulates  in  the 
silk  room,  it  is  not  necessary  to  make  use  of  fire. 


f  ^  JHl.il 


iff  rujSfb 


31!)  1o  amJJod  oil)  } 


;  JBOI^  />  biiii  J^^iitJ  hriR  •iB'.4>j 
n  K>a  ei  li  ?rnooi  -All'- 


TT?T7  A  TT^T? 

YaA     A  XV -CiJTlL  JL  XO  iy 

00/5flif>.i 


UPON 

• 


THE  WILD  SILK  WORMS 


NOTE.  It  is  thought  proper  to  reprint  here,  as  a  necessary  completion 
to  the  preceding  Treatises,  the  Memoir  of  P.  D'!NCARVILLE  upon  Wild 
Silk  Worms.  This  important  work,  which  is  only  found  in  a  collection  of 
16  Volumes,  of  the  Memoirs  of  the  missionaries  of  Peking,  (Paris,  1777) 
may  prove  very  useful  to  the  raisers,  if,  as  it  is  to  be  hoped,  the  Govern- 
ment receive  the  eggs  of  wild  silk  worms  from  M.  Louis  Hubert,  who 
has  been  sent  to  the  coasts  of  China,  to  obtain  such  valuable  species  of  the 
silk  worm  and  mulberry  as  do  not  exist  in  Europe, 

1  vl      xl  ul  *    ww      kit  Jli  J. 


MEMOIR    ON 


WILD  SILK  WORMS, 


BY  P.  D'INCARVILLE.* 


The  observations  made  by  Pliny,  the  naturalist,  upon  the 
caterpillars  of  the  cypress,  fir,  ash,  and  oak  trees,  from 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Cos  obtained  their  silk,  has  start- 
ed the  idea  of  making  some  research  into  that  subject.  We 
have  found  that  in  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  Ouen-ti, 
(a  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  Christ,)  the  wild  silk 
worms  multiplied  in  forests,  and  gave  a  large  quantity  of 
silk;  and,  likewise,  in  the  second  year  of  Youen-ti,  of  the 
same  dynasty,  (forty-four  before  Christ,)  with  the  remark, 
that  the  cocoons  of  these  worms  were  as  large  as  eggs 
(ta-jou~tan).  We  have  found  the  same  fact  related  in  the 
Annals  of  the  years  26,  231,  441,  449,  627,  638,  &c., 
anno  domini,  always  with  the  remark,  that  these  cocoons 
were  as  large  as  eggs,  except  in  627,  when  it  is  said,  they 
were  as  large  as  apricots ;  to  which  the  annalist  adds,  that 
six  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy  measures  have  been 

*  Extract  from  Volume  II,  (pages  579-601,)  of  Memoirs  relating  to  the  history, 
sciences,  arts,  &c.,  of  the  Chinese,  by  the  missionaries  of  Peking.  Several  pages 
of  remarks,  foreign  to  this  subject,  have  been  suppressed* 


1  76  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

gathered.  The  statements  of  the  ancients  relative  to  that 
kind  of  worms,  their  extraordinary  multiplication  in  the 
years  they  have  been  spoken  of,  give  us  the  right  to 
conclude  that  if  they  yielded  some  silk,  in  other  years,  it 
was  in  very  small  quantities.  Let  us  suppose  it  was  the 
same  with  the  silk  worms  of  the  island  of  Cos,  and  it  will 
be  very  easy  to  explain  why  silk  was  so  rare  and  precious. 
To  return  to  the  caterpillars  of  the  cypress,  fir,  ash,  and 
oak  trees,  from  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  of  Cos 
obtained  their  silk,  we  have  all  these  trees  in  France.  The 
caterpillars  of  a  tree  in  one  country  are  the  same  in  all 
other  countries.  Would  it  be  badly  imagined  to  draw  an 
inference  from  that  fact  ?  Would  there  not  be  some  room 
to  make  it  ?  All  that  our  gratitude  can  dare  for  a  benefactor 
whose  name  will  ever  be  in  our  mouth,  and  upon  bur  lips, 
is,  to  relate  that  which  is  practised  in  China,  and,  for  our 
justification,  to  rely  upon  his  wisdom  to  excuse  the  anxiety 
to  make  use  of  it  in  the  proper  time  and  manner.  We  ask 
the  favor,  that  this  notice  and  all  others  we  may  take  the 
liberty  to  offer  to  him,  may  only  be  communicated  to  the 
public  as  materials  belonging  to  the  subject  under  examina- 
tion. Even  if  the  deceased  father  D'Incarville,  had  not 
made  researches  and  experiments  upon  the  silk  worms,  of 
which  we  are  about  to  speak,  we  would  never  have  dared 
to  risk  ourselves,  by  saying  any  thing  upon  the  testimony 
of  books  alone ;  but  this  respectable  and  learned  missiona- 
ry, of  whom  so  many  excellent  memoirs  have  been  lost  or 
buried,  having  undertaken  to  reply  upon  this  subject,  to  the 
questions  that  the  Minister  and  several  learned  men  have  ad- 
dressed to  him,  he  set  himself  to  work,  made  experiments, 
and  his  journal,  worthy  in  all  respects  of  his  sagacity  and 
exactitude,  has  fortunatelv  fallen  into  our  hands.  We  cannot 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  J  77 

now  acquit  ourselves  of  what  we  owe  to  his  memory,  but 
we  have  not  the  baseness  or  bad  faith  not  to  do  him  honor, 
for  what  we  owe  to  his  work. 

What  Pliny   relates  of  the  silk  worms  of  the  island  of 
Cos,  in  the  seventeenth  section  of  the  eleventh  book,  is  very 
difficult  to  understand  and  explain  as  it  appears  to  us.    Has 
the  text  been  altered  ?    Has  the  signification  of  some  word, 
been  lost  ?     This  learned  man,  who  has  made  so  many  re- 
searches, and   preserved   for  us  so  much  learning,  had  he 
defective  memoirs  upon  that  article  ?     We  leave  the  ques- 
tion to  be  decided  by  those  who  have  a  right  to  pronounce : 
for  ourselves,  it  appears  to  us  very  remarkable  arid  worthy 
of  attention,  that  of  the  three  kinds  of  wild  silk  worms 
which  are  raised  in  China,  two  kinds  are  raised  oil  the 
ash  and  oak  trees,  as  in  the  island  of  Cos.     We  would  not 
dare  to  say  that  they  are  not  also  raised  on  the  cypress  and 
fir  trees,  because  as  we  cannot  know  to  a  certainty,  what 
is  practised  in   the  provinces,   we  do  not  believe  that  the 
silence  of  the  books  suffices  to  draw  the  conclusion.     Even 
suppose  that  the  learned  gentlemen,  prepossessed  against 
the  wild  silk  worms,  only  speak  of  them  in  passing ;  per- 
haps it  is,  that  the  Government  does  not  wish  to  promote  or 
extend  the  method  of  raising  them.    It  has  been  affected  not 
to  say  a  word  in  the  great  agricultural  collection,  which  has 
been  published  by  order  of  the  reigning  Emperor.     The 
idea  suggested  itself,  that  these  modern  silk  worms,  having 
the  indelible  stain  of  being  neglected  and  despised  by  an- 
tiquity, a  learned  man  disgraces    himself  in  speaking   of 
them  in  detail:  but  the  present  Ministry  is   not   blinded 
by  such  prejudices,  which  operate  only  with  the    helots 
of  the  school  of  Confucius.     For,  perhaps,  these  wild  silk 
worms,  being  more  precarious  and  more  difficult  to  raise 
23 


178  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

than  the  silk  worms  of  the  mulberry  trees,  the  allurement 
of  gain  will  have  sufficed  to  make  them  prefer  the  latter* 
the  silk  of  which  commands  a  much  higher  price. 

We  have  seen  above,  that  the  wild  silk  worms  have  been 
known  for  a  long  time  in  China  ;  but  when  they  commen- 
ced to  raise  them  annually,  to  procure  their  silk,  we  do  not 
find  stated  any  where:  we  do  not  even  find  it  anterior  to 
the  last  dynasty,  forming  a  part  of  the  tribute  of  the  pro- 
vinces, nor  entering  into  the  imperial  manufactures  of  the 
present  day.  It  may  be,  that  the  singular  art  of  raising  that 
kind  of  worms  has  been  practised  secretly  in  some  districts, 
without  attracting  the  attention  of  the  Government.  It  ap- 
pears in  the  imperial  collection,  Hoang-ming-chi-ta,  publish- 
ed under  King-ti,  of  the  last  dynasty,  about  the  year  1456, 
that  the  Government  takes  no  notice  of  the  silk  of  the  wild 
silk  worms;  but  when,  making  continual  efforts  to  secure 
abundance  of  corn,  and  of  the  raw  materials  for  clothing, 
it  fixed  what  each  place  should  pay  in  silk  from  the  worms 
of  the  mulberry,  in  hemp,  or  cotton,  and,  seeing  that  the 
province  of  Canton  obtained  silk  from  the  wild  worms,  they 
taxed  it  to  furnish  every  year  a  certain  quantity.  As  the 
multiplication  of  the  wild  silk  worms  has  been  regarded 
and  announced  to  the  Emperors  as  a  relief  to  the  misery  of 
the  people,  and  as  an  extraordinary  assistance  sent  by  hea- 
ven, it  may  be  the  desire  of  perpetuating  that  branch  of  in- 
dustry, has  caused  experiments  and  researches  to  be  made ; 
but  the  books  we  have  read  do  not  name  him  who  first  suc- 
ceeded. 

Three  kinds  of  wild  silk  worms  are  enumerated :  those 
of  fagara,  or  of  the  pepper  tree  of  China,  those  of  the  ash, 
and  those  of  the  oak  tree.  Before  entering  into  any  detail 
it  is  essential  to  make  these  three  trees  well  known. 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  ]  79 

We  have  called  the  pepper  tree  of  China  fngara,  after  P. 
D'Incarville.  It  appears,  in  fact,  to  resemble  it ;  but  we 
doubt  if  it  be  of  the  same  species.  As  that  tree  is  of  an 
easy  and  very  common  culture  in  the  province  of  Canton, 
where  our  vessels  resort,  it  would  be  easy  to  bring  plants 
to  France ;  for  besides,  the  seed,  seed-pods  can  be  used  in 
place  of  pepper,  which  would  be  important  for  the  king- 
dom, and  the  silk  worms  of  that  tree  are  those  which  yield 
»the  most  beautiful  and  the  greatest  quantity  of  silk.  Ac- 
cording to  M.  Duhamel,  the  illustrious  and  zealous  promo- 
ter of  the  public  good,  who  says  of  the  fag ar a,  it  appears 
to  us  very  doubtful  if  those  of  China  can  succeed  in  thq 
b-  Northern  provinces  of  France ;  but  we  are  persuaded  that 
it  would  succeed  very  well  in  Provence,  Languedoc,  and 
Roussillon.  An  ignorant  person  sees  nothing  very  impor- 
tant to  the  country  in  the  acquisition  of  a  new  tree;  but  a 
statesman,  a  citizen,  sees  in  a  useful  tree  a  lasting  inheri- 
tance for  the  whole  nation. 

In  China  two  kinds  of  the  ash  tree  are  distinguished,  the 
tchcou-tchun,  and  the  kiang-tchun.  The  tcheou-tchun  is 
the  same  as  ours,  and  it  is  on  that  the  wild  silk  worms  are 
fed.  The  kiang-tchun  is  very  different  from  the  first  by  its 
blossom,  its  seed,  and  above  all,  by  its  smell,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  notice  we  have  taken  of  it.  Our  moderns  are, 
perhaps,  too  ready  to  laugh  at  what  Pliny,  the  natura- 
list, has  said  of  the  ash  tree  ,•  we  would  not  be  at  all  sur- 
prised that  the  kiang-tchun  fully  justified  him.  The  compass 
of  Europe  is  not  yet  large  enough  to  measure  the  universe. 
What  quantities  of  plants  and  trees  are  in  the  world ! — 
Those  of  China,  which  are  immense,  will  not,  perhaps,  be 
known  in  the  West  for  many  centuries. 
The  oak,  on  which  a  kind  of  wild  worms  are  fed,  if  we 


1 80  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

be  not  deceived,  is  what  the  botanists  call  quercus,  orien- 
talis  caslanea  folio,  glande  reconditd  in  capsuld  crassd  el 
squamerosd.  It  is  in  the  royal  garden,  as  well  as  we  re- 
member ;  but  we  have,  assuredly,  seen  it  near  Toulouse,  in 
a  garden,  which  would  be  too  painful  for  us  to  name. 

The  wild  silk  worms  offagara  and  of  the  ash  trees,  are 
the  same,  and  are  raised  in  the  same  manner.  Those  of  the 
oak  tree  are  different,  and  require  to  be  dealt  with  rather 
differently. 

The  great  and  essential  difference  between  the  silk  worms, 
of  the  mulberry  tree,  and  the  wild  silk  worms,  is  that  the 
Author  of  nature  has  given  to  these  last  a  spirit  of  liberty 
and  independence  absolutely  unconquerable.  Patience,  per- 
severance, and  Chinese  industry  have  been  foiled  there.  It 
would  be  useless  to  risk  new  attempts.  Our  religious  books 
have  taken  silk  worms  for  the  symbol  of  the  resurrection, 
be  it  the  soul  in  grace,  or  of  the  body  in  life  eternal.  The 
wild  silk  worms  appear  to  be  preferred.  Their  cocoons 
being  finished,  they  remain  enclosed  from  the  end  of  Sum- 
mer, or  the  beginning  of  Autumn,  until  the  Spring  of  the 
next  year.  This  long  residence  explains  why  they  are  made 
so  strong  and  so  compact.  Cocoons  have  even  been  seen, 
after  being  forgotten  a  whole  year,  to  send  forth  their  but- 
terflies the  next;  and,  it  is  notorious  in  the  province  of 
Clian-tong  and  several  oilier  places,  that  the  metamorphose 
of  the  chrysalides  can  be  retarded  to  the  middle  of  Summer. 

The  Chinese  have  a  manner  of  distinguishing  the  cocoons 
which  give  male  or  female  butterflies :  among  those  they 
can  likewise  select  the  ones  which  give  the  strongest  and 
the  most  beautiful  butterflies.  As  the  cocoons  selected  are 
the  hope  of  the  next  year,  this  choice  is  important.  If  the 
rules  to  make  this  choice  are  the  same  as  those  which  are 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  181 

followed  for  the  silk  worms  of  the  mulberry  tree,  which  is 
very  likely,  we  have  nothing  to  add  to  what  has  been  said 
in  the  Memoir  on  Mulberry  Trees  and  Silk  Worms.  To 
keep  the  cocoons  more  commodiously,  they  are  strung  to- 
gether by  their  extremities,  on  a  thread  of  silk,  and  several 
strings  are  formed  like  beads.  The  sole  precaution  that  is 
necessary  to  preserve  them,  consists  in  suspending  them  in 
a  place  where  they  will  be  sheltered  from  the  north  wind, 
the  rain,  sun,  and  cold  air.  The  Chinese  do  not  disapprove 
of  their  being  housed  ;  but,  to  believe  them,  it  is  always 
better  to  follow  nature  as  nearly  as  possible ;  and,  the  wild 
silk  worms,  as  every  body  knows,  suspend  their  cocoons  to 
the  trees  on  which  they  feed,  without  even  seeking  the  most 
sheltered  places. 

It  is  much  more  difficult  to  make  the  wild  silk  worms 
hatch  than  those  of  the  mulberry  tree:  I  have  said  to  hatch 
them,  it  would  be  better  to  say,  to  procure  the  metamorpho- 
sis, for  they  hatch  without  any  care.  Father  D'Incarville 
failed  in  the  first  attempt ;  the  half  of  the  Summer  had 
passed,  though  he  had  done  his  best,  without  obtaining  a 
butterfly.  "  I  thought  I  was  deceived,"  said  he,  in  his 
journal,  "  and  that  he  (his  agent)  had  given  me  cocoons  in 
which  the  chrysalides  had  perished."  Upon  which,  disheart- 
ened with  this  ill  success,  he  shut  them  up  in  a  drawer, 
where  he  forgot  them,  and  found  them  hatched  in  the  month 
of  October,  when  he  opened  the  fatal  prison  where  he  had 
put  them,  and  where  they  had  miserably  died.  To  make 
these  butterflies  hatch,  the  cocoons  must  be  strung  and  sus- 
pended in  a  warm  room,  watered  and  dampened  several 
times  during  the  day,  in  the  warmest  weather.  There  are 
some  who  prefer  to  expose  them  to  the  vapor  of  a  large 
vessel  of  warm  water,  which  is  milder,  and  better  imitates 


I  82  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

the  dampness  of  the  air,  which  makes  them  hatch  in  rainy 
weather.  We  do  not  find  how  many  days  are  necessary 
for  the  change  or  metamorphose  of  the  chrysalides,  and  we 
conclude,  that  there  is  no  fixed  time  ;  that  it  is  advanced  or 
retarded  without  our  being  able  to  divine  the  cause;  but  it 
is  not  common  to  wait  more  than  eight  or  ten  days,  when 
proper  weather  is  chosen  :  that  is  to  say,  damp  and  warm 
weather.  If  it  be  delayed  a  little  longer,  we  will  have  the 
gratification  to  see  all  the  cocoons  send  forth  their  butter- 
flies nearly  at  the  same  time. 

The  butterfly  of  the  wild  silk  worm,  says  P.  D'ln- 
carville,  has  glassy  wings,  of  the  fifth  class  of  phalenes, 
according  to  the  system  of  M.  de  Reaumur.  It  carries  its 
wings  parallel  to  the  superfices  of  its  position,  and  leaves  its 
body  entirely  uncovered :  its  wings  are  no  more  extended 
when  it  flies,  than  when  at  rest.  This  butterfly  has  scarcely 
its  wings  dry,  when  it  seeks  to  make  use  of  them,  and  fly. 
As  persons  are  sure  of  drawing  the  males  by  means  of  the 
females,  the  liberty  of  flying  outside  is  left  to  them  ;  but  the 
females  are  taken,  as  soon  as  they  come  out  of  their  cocoons, 
and  are  attached  with  a  thread  of  pretty  long  silk  by  one  of 
their  wings,  and  the  other  end  attached  to  a  large  dried 
bundle,  of  a  species  of  millet,  suspended  in  the  air,  and 
which  the  botanists  call  milium  arundinaceum.  The  Chi- 
nese by  this  plan  obtain  great  advantages.  The  males 
impregnate  the  females  the  first  and  the  following  nights, 
though  they  sometimes  disappear  entirely  during  the  day. 
The  females,  which  are  tied  to  the  bundle  of  millet,  deposite 
there  their  eggs  after  the  second  night,  and  continue  to  do 
so  about  eight  or  ten  days ;  but  towards  the  end  they  lay 
much  less.  The  entire  laying  is  not  less  than  four  or  five 
hundred  eggs.  The  heat  of  the  season  suffices  to  make  the 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  183 

wild  worms  hatch,  and  that,  generally,  at  the  end  of  ten  or 
eleven  days. 

The  first  idea  which  suggests  itself  relative  to  wild  worms 
that  are  raised  upon  trees,  in  the  open  air,  makes  us  believe 
at  first  that  they  scarcely  require  any  care,  and  are  much 
easier  to  rear  than  the  silk  worms  of  the  mulberry  tree ; 
but  it  is  not  so  by  a  great  deal.  When  the  small  silk  worms 
come  out  of  their  eggs  there  are  some  persons  who  suspend 
the  bundles  of  millet  upon  a  branch  of  ihefagara  tree,  in 
such  a  manner  that  they  can  climb  from  their  cradle  upon 
the  leaves  of  that  tree ;  others  cut  a  branch,  put  it  in  a 
vessel  full  of  water,  and  attach  there  their  millet,  with  all 
its  new  inhabitants,  the  number  of  which  augments  mo- 
mentarily until  they  nearly  equal  the  number  of  eggs.  The 
reason  of  these  different  proceedings  is  the  extreme  delicacy 
of  the  worms,  their  weakness,  and  their  enemies.  If  the 
tree  where  it  is  desired  to  establish  them  be  at  all  accessible 
to  the  ants,  and  other  carniverous  insects  of  the  season,  so 
tender  a  game  attracts  them,  and  in  a  short  lime  they  make 
a  dreadful  havock  ;  which  remark,  en  passant,  explains  suf- 
ficiently well  why  it  is  that  the  wild  silk  worms  so  rarely 
multiply  and  live  in  sufficiently  large  quantities  to  yield 
many  cocoons.  The  best  way  to  protect  them,  in  their 
first  infancy,  is,  after  a  great  rain,  to  surround,  with  a  small 
ditch,  full  of  water,  thefagara  or  ash  tree,  which  has  been 
chosen  for  their  place  of  abode.  But  a  branch  put  in  a 
vessel  of  water  is  much  surer.  The  most  intrepid  ants 
dare  not  swim  to  catch  their  game  ;  for,  to  judge  of  the 
daintiness  of  these  amazoiis  by  their  avidity  and  eagerness, 
these  newly  hatched  worms  are  the  most  dainty  fare  of 
their  table.  The  flying  insects  of  the  season  are  yet  more 
thirsty  for  their  blood  than  the  ants ;  it  is  much  more  diffi- 
cult to  defend  them  from  their  continual  attacks. 


T84  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

Nature  has  taught  the  small  worms  to  gain  quickly  the 
leaves  of  the  tree  which  are  to  nourish  them,  and  to  unite 
themselves  in  the  same  neighborhood  on  different  leaves,  so 
as  to  form  there  a  body,  and  alarm  their  enemies  by  their 
numbers.  They  even  take  care  to  lodge  themselves  upon 
the  under  surface  of  the  leaves,  where  they  attach  them- 
selves wonderfully,  and  where  it  is  more  difficult  to  attack 
them.  Hardly  are  they  dried  and  accustomed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  air,  than  they  eat  with  a  good  appetite,  and 
attack  the  fagara  and  oak  leaves  by  the  edges,  help  them- 
selves, and  feed  without  scarcely  reposing.  "  It  happened 
in  the  first  day  that  I  had  carried  my  newly  hatched  worms 
to  the  tree,"  says  P.  D'Incarville,  "  a  great  rain  suddenly 
came  on,  which  made  me  very  uneasy  for  their  lives.  I 
thought  it  was  all  over  with  them,  and  that  not  one  would 
have  resisted  the  torrents  of  water  which  fell.  As  soon  as 
the  storm  had  passed,  I  went  to  see  if  there  was  one  to  be 
found.  I  found  them  eating  with  great  appetite,  and  grown 
sensibly  larger."  Far  from  the  rain  being  injurious  to  them, 
it  benefits  them  by  the  coolness  it  produces  in  the  air,  and  by 
dispersing  all  their  enemies.  They  suffer,  moreover,  from 
dryness,  because  the  leaves  they  feed  upon  being  then  less 
abundant  in  juice,  they  become  constipated.  Their  delicacy 
and  neatness,  if  they  have  any,  is  not  against  their  health. 
If  they  void  their  small  feces  with  difficulty,  they  bend  them- 
selves without  ceremony  on  their  backs,  draw  them  with 
their  teeth,  and  drop  them  ;  which  is  done  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye :  then  they  begin  to  eat  again.  The  food 
profits  them  so  much  in  the  beginning,  that  they  grow  and 
increase  from  day  to  day  nearly  half  their  size. 

The  wild  silk  worms  moult  four  times,  and  each  moult- 
ing is  but  four  days  distant  from  the  preceding.  The  third 
day  they  eat  little ;  but  the  fourth  day,  when  they  are  hardly 


WILD  SJLK  WORMS.  185 

cleared  from  their  skin,  they  indemnify  themselves  with 
usury,  for  the  diet  of  the  preceding  day.  It  is  then  that 
they  can  almost  be  seen  to  grow.  These  small  worms  en- 
tirely lose  the  love  of  social  life  after  their  first  moulting ; 
the  taste  for  solitude  gains  upon  them,  arid  they  separate  to 
go  and  live  in  their  way,  remote  from  one  another.  This 
new  inclination  is  mutually  advantageous;  for,  if  they  re- 
mained assembled  together  in  community  upon  a  single 
branch,  they  would  soon  consume  all  the  leaves,  besides, 
the  tree  would  suffer  from  it,  they  would  have  a  journey  to 
make  to  gain  another  branch,  and  the  fast,  which  would  be 
inevitable,  would  retard  their  moulting,  or  even  abridge 
their  lives,  which  are  so  short.  Their  dispersion  is  yet  more 
necessary  for  their  preservation  ;  for  if  their  enemies  found 
them  thus  re-united,  they  would  make  a  more  terrible  de- 
struction, and,  perhaps,  none  would  be  able  to  escape. — 
Hornets,  wasps,  ants,  ravens,  and  all  small  birds  without 
exception,  are  eager  for  their  blood.  The  admirers  of  Pro- 
vidence may  well  exclaim,  in  considering  how  these  cater- 
pillars, without  defence  and  exposed  to  so  many  dangers, 
have  been  able  to  preserve  and  perpetuate  themselves,  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  ene- 
mies ;  a  miracle  so  much  the  more  striking,  because,  before 
their  silk  obtained  for  them  the  care  of  men,  the  greater 
part  of  them  must  perish  at  the  period  of  hatching  in  years 
unfavorable  to  their  propagation.  The  following  method 
has  been  invented  to  defend  them  from  the  birds  :  the  heads 
of  thefagara  or  ash  trees,  on  which  they  put  them,  must 
be  rounded  and  covered  with  a  net  of  meshes,  close  toge- 
ther, to  prevent  the  birds  from  getting  to  them.  It  is  an 
expense,  but  it  is  necessary ;  and  one  is  well  remunerated 
by  the  silk  which  is  gathered.  The  hornets  fall  upon  them 
above  all,  when  they  are  small,  cut  them  in  two  and  devour 
24 


]  86  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

them,  though  the  net  alarms  them  at  first,  but  the  allure- 
ment of  their  prey  gives  them  courage  to  traverse  the 
meshes,  and  one  that  has  passed  through  invites  all  the 
others.  Artifice  and  allurements  must  be  used  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, by  sticks  covered  over  with  honey,  where  they 
must  be  burnt  with  a  wisp  of  straw  when  there  is  a  great 
number  of  them.  P.  D'Incarville  relates  as  an  ocular  wit- 
ness, that  scarcely  does  a  toad  fix  its  eyes  upon  one  of  these 
caterpillars  than  it  swoons  and  falls  ;  the  toad  respires,  and 
in  drawing  its  breath  receives  it  in  its  mouth  arid  swallows 
it.  Then,  he  adds,  if  he  had  not  closely  watched,  his  whole 
republic  of  silk  worms  would  have  been  in  danger  of  per- 
ishing in  a  few  days.  As  the  Chinese  books  have  neglect- 
ed this  matter,  we  will  say  nothing  more  upon  the  sub- 
ject. 

We  had  forgotten  to  say  in  its  place,  that  a  little  before 
or  after  the  first  moulting,  if  the  newly  hatched  worms 
were  left  on  a  branch  of  the  fagara  tree,  and  put  in  a 
vessel  of  water,  or  if  they  were  at  first  placed  on  the  tree 
itself,  care  must  be  taken  to  proportion  the  number  to  the 
tree  destined  for  them,  or  on  which  they  must  be  left. — 
That  attention  is  essential,  because  if  these  worms  were  in 
too  large  a  number,  they  would  strip  off  all  its  leaves,  which, 
perhaps,  would  not  suffice  them :  being  more  uncovered, 
they  would  there  be  more  exposed  to  their  enemies,  less 
sheltered  from  the  rain  and  sun ;  and  then,  when  the  time 
comes  to  spin  their  cocoons,  they  will  be  in  a  great  deal  of 
distress  and  embarrassment.  The  true  time  to  make  that 
distribution  is  the  day  that  precedes  or  follows  their  first 
moulting.  As  they  disperse  as  soon  as  the  moulting  is 
over,  it  will  be  impossible  to  distribute  those  which  are 
already  lodged  on  their  tree  if  that  moment  be  missed  ;  and 
it  would  be  forcing  the  others,  to  retain  them  on  small 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  187 

branches,  where  their  lodging  and  provisions  would  be  too 
near  together. 

The  four  moultings>  which  take  place  at  intervals  of  four 
days,  being  finished  and  passed,  the  wild  silk  worms  have 
nearly  all  their  growth,  and  are  at  least  twice  as  large  as 
the  silk  worms  of  the  mulberry  tree.  "  It  is  a  caterpillar  of 
the  first  class,  according  to  the  system  of  M.  de  Reaumur/' 
says  father  D'Incarville  ;  "  it  is  of  a  green  color  mixed  with 
white,  not  perfectly  smooth,  with  six  tubercles,  six  on  each 
ring.  The  hairs  of  these  tubercles  are  covered  with  a  kind 
of  white  powder."  After  the  eighteenth  or  nineteenth  day, 
the  wild  silk  worms  lose  all  appetite,  and  successively  pass 
from  a  sullen  apathy,  or  half  numbness,  to  uneasiness 
and  very  lively  agitation.  They  run  here  and  there,  as  if 
they  feared  making  mistakes  in  the  choice  of  a  leaf  they 
are  about  selecting,  and  a  place  to  spin  their  cocoon,  and 
await  their  revivification  the  next  year.  It  is  generally  from 
the  nineteenth  to  the  twenty-second  day  from  their  hatch- 
ing that  they  commence  this  great  work.  Be  it  in  order  to 
have  wherewith  to  fasten  the  first  threads  of  the  tomb  about 
to  be  built — be  it  to  increase  its  thickness  and  solidity,  it 
curls  up  a  leaf  in  the  form  of  a  gondola,  and  encloses  it- 
self under  the  tissue  it  spins,  and  which  is  finished  by  form- 
ing a  cocoon  of  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg,  and  almost  as  hard. 
This  cocoon  has  one  of  its  extremities  open,  in  the  form  of 
an  inverted  funnel ;  it  is  a  passage  prepared  for  the  butter- 
fly's future  egress.  With  the  assistance  of  the  liquid  with 
which  it  is  moistened,  and  which  it  directs  toward  that 
place,  the  moistened  threads  yield  to  its  efforts:  it  breaks 
through  its  prison  when  the  time  arrives. 

In  collecting  together  all  we  have  just  said,  it  is  evident 
that  the  wild  silk  worms  are  easier  to  raise  in  many  respects 
than  the  silk  worms  of  the  mulberry  tree,  and,  perhaps, 


188  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

merit  the  attention  of  the  Ministry,  by  whom  alone  it  should 
be  decided,  whether  it  would  be  useful  to  the  kingdom  to 
procure  a  new  kind  of  silk,  instead  of  that  of  our  provinces, 
or  to  have  experiments  made  with  care,  which  would  deter- 
mine the  fact,  and  make  it  known  whether  we  can  succeed 
in  raising  them.     All  that  is  necessary  for  us  to  add  to  what 
we  have  said,  is,  that  these  worms  are  a  source  of  wealth 
for  China  itself,  though  each  year  so  prodigious  a  quantity 
of  silk  is  gathered  from  the  worms  of  the  mulberry  tree, 
that,  according  to  the  saying  of  a  modern  writer,  mountains 
could  be  made  from  it.     It  is  true  that  the  silk  of  the  wild 
worms  is  not  to  be  compared  to  the  other,  and  never  takes 
permanently  any  die ;  but,  in  the  first  place,  it  costs  less 
care,  or,  rather,  scarcely  requires  any  in  the  places  where 
the  climate  is  favorable  to  the  wild  worms,  because  all  that 
is  risked  in  neglecting  them  is  to  have  a  less  abundant  crop; 
yet  one  is  master  of  a  larger  quantity  by  multiplying  the 
number  of  trees  destined  for  the  worms.     2d,  As  the  co- 
coons of  the  wild  worms  are  not  reeled,  but  spun  like  floss 
silk,  much  time  and  workmanship  are  dispensed  with.    3d, 
The  silk  they  furnish  is  of  a  fine  flaxen  color,  lasts  double 
the  time  of  the  other  at  least,  and  does  not  stain  so  easily; 
drops  even  of  oil  or  greese  do  not  spread  on  it,  and  are  very 
easily  effaced.    The  stuffs  made  of  it  wash  like  linen.    4th, 
The  silk  of  the  wild  worms  fed  upon  the  fagara  tree,  is  so 
beautiful  in  certain  places,  that  the  stuffs  made  of  it  dispute 
the  price  with  the  most  beautiful  silk  stuffs,  though  they 
are  plain  and  simple  druggets.    When  we  have  said  the  silk 
does  not  reel,  and  does  not  take  the  die,  it  is  a  fact  we  re- 
late.     European  industry,  aided  and   enlightened  by  the 
enterprise  of  French  genius,  would,  perhaps,  invent  the 
mode  of  reeling  the  cocoons  of  wild  worms,  and  of  dying 
the  silk. 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  1  89 

P.  D'Incarville  having  neglected  to  put  the  cocoons  in  a 
cool  place,  had  some  butterflies  in  twelve,  others  in  fifteen 
days,  after  the  caterpillars  were  enclosed,  that  is  to  say  : 
eleven  months  too  soon.  Nevertheless,  there  are  some 
places  where,  though  contrary  to  the  institutions  of  nature, 
in  general  made  to  be  followed,  the  common  custom  is  to 
manage  two  crops  of  wild  worms,  one  in  the  Spring,  the 
other  at  the  end  of  Summer. 

We  now  come  to  the  wild  worms  of  the  oak  tree,  with 
leaves  like  the  chestnut  tree.  They  are  made  to  hatch  like 
those  of  thefagara  and  ash  trees  ;  but  their  earliest  infancy 
is  more  delicate.  The  wind  is  very  injurious  to  them  :  care 
must  be  taken  to  raise  them  upon  branches  of  oak,  placed 
in  vessels  full  of  water,  as  was  said  above,  and  they  must 
be  kept  in  an  inhabited  room,  well  closed,  and  with  a  south- 
ern exposure :  but  attention  must  be  paid  to  open  the  win- 
dows when  the  weather  is  fine.  Those  who  think  it  dan- 
gerous not  to  accustom  them  at  first  to  the  open  air,  adopt 
the  method  of  planting  their  branches  of  oak  upon  the 
edge  of  a  river  or  brook,  at  the  distance  of  a  foot  and  a 
half  or  two  feet ;  but,  in  order  not  to  expose  them  to  the 
fatal  effects  of  the  wind,  they  protect  them  with  a  shelter  of 
strong  mats  on  the  side  from  whence  it  blows. 

We  have  nothing  particular  to  add  upon  the  life  they  lead, 
and  the  care  the  worms  of  the  oak  tree  require  when  they 
are  carried  after  their  first  moulting  to  the  tree  where  they 
are  to  finish  their  short  career.  They  are  exposed  there  to 
the  same  perils  as  those  of  the  fagara  and  ash  trees  :  they 
are  defended  in  the  same  manner.  Dryness  appears  to  be 
very  injurious  to  them.  P.  D'Incarville  seeing  his  worms 
thirsty,  presented  them  some  water,  on  the  end  of  a  straw, 
and  he  saw  them  suck  a  great  number  of  drops,  with- 
out appearing  to  quench  their  thirst.  Thus,  the  Chinese 


190  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

take  care  to  choose  rainy  weather  to  make  them  hatch,  and 
the  neighborhood  of  water  to  raise  them.  A  much  more 
important  remark  of  P.  D'Incarville  is,  that  they  can  be  fed, 
as  he  fed  them  from  necessity,  when  the  leaves  of  the  chest- 
nut-oak fails,  on  leaves  of  the  common  oak.  We  insist 
upon  this  point,  because  the  oak  tree  of  the  East  is  uncom- 
mon in  France,  and  because  it  will,  perhaps,  be  possible 
to  find  on  our  common  oak  trees  the  true  wild  caterpillar  of 
China,  which  gives  silk  of  the  second  kind.  P.  D'Incarville 
says  "  that  it  is  of  the  first  class,  according  to  the  system 
of  M.  de  Reaumur,  like  that  of  thefagara  and  of  the  ash ; 
viz  :  that  it  has  sixteen  legs.  The  six  in  front  are  covered 
with  a  sort  of  shell  or  scale.  Eight  are  pectoral,  and  two 
caudal.  The  pectoral  legs  or  holders,  are  furnished  with 
hooks,  which  assist  the  insect  in  climbing.  Its  greatest 
singularity  is  a  species  of  brilliant  scales,  resembling  bur- 
nished silver.  Some  have  them  over  each  stigmate  ;  others 
have  fewer  or  even  none  at  all ;  but  these  last  have,  upon 
the  tops  of  the  tubercles  of  the  third  row,  from  the  spot 
where  the  hairs  grow,  a  crown  or  circle  of  brilliant  gold." 
The  worms  of  the  oak  tree  are  slower  in  making  their 
cocoons  than  those  of  the  fagara  and  ash  trees,  and  they 
proceed  differently.  Instead  of  bending  a  leaf  in  the  form 
of  a  cup,  they  put  two  or  three  together,  shut  themselves  up 
in  them,  and  there  spin  their  cocoon,  which,  though  larger, 
is  of  a  very  inferior  silk  ;  for  it  must  not  be  omitted,  a  great 
difference  exists  between  the  silk  of  thefagara,  ash,  and  oak 
trees.  That  of  the  first  is  most  valued  :  the  siao-kien  is 
made  of  it,  which  is  very  beautiful  and  costly.  It  is,  how- 
ever, but  a  species  of  drugget,  though  very  fine,  and  of 
admirable  use.  The  tsiao-kien  is  made  of  that  of  the 
caterpillars  of  the  ash  tree,  and  the  ta-kien  of  the  oak.  If 
our  merchants  wish  to  buy  at  Canton  these  three  species 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  191 

of  drugget,  they  must  address  themselves  to  a  trusty  person, 
for,  as  druggets  are  made  of  ferret  silk,  it  is  easy  to  impose 


on  a  stranger. 


After  the  gathering  of  the  cocoons,  those  intended  for  eggs 
must  be  selected  for  use  at  the  end  of  Summer,  or  the  fol- 
lowing Spring ;  and  after  having  strung  them  in  the  man- 
ner described,  they  must  be  hung  up  in  proper  places.  There 
is  a  choice  to  be  made  among  the  other  cocoons  :  this  choice 
is  made  by  pressing  them  between  two  fingers.  Those  that 
resist  are  the  best,  and  have  the  most  silk  ;  those  that  yield 
are  middling,  and  have  less  silk.  The  two  extremities  of 
both  kinds  must  be  cut  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  separate 
them,  and  put  them  in  two  bags  of  linen  hemp,  when  they 
must  be  tied  up  with  a  pack-thread  ;  then  they  must  be 
plunged  in  a  large  kettle  of  boiling  lie,  which  has  been 
strained.  This  lie,  which  ought  to  be  strong,  must  be 
made  of  the  ashes  of  the  jujube  tree,  or  stalks  of  buck- 
wheat, or  of  a  kind  of  persicaria,  from  which  indigo  is  ob- 
tained. When  the  cocoons  have  boiled  an  hour,  the  bag  of 
the  middling  ones  must  be  opened,  to  see  if  the  lie  has  had 
the  effect  that  is  required,  to  unravel  easily.  As  this  lie  is 
only  intended  to  dissolve  the  glue  or  gum  that  joins  the 
silky  threads  of  the  cocoon,  European  ingenuity  will,  per- 
haps, find  some  solvent  more  active  and  quicker.  When 
the  cocoons  of  the  first  bag  are  at  the  desired  point,  they 
must  be  drawn  from  the  kettle ;  then  those  of  the  second 
bag  must  be  examined  from  time  to  time  so  as  not  to  injure 
them.  If  both  be  withdrawn  from  the  kettle  at  the  proper 
time,  the  bags  must  be  pressed  till  the  lie  escapes,  and  they 
must  then  be  left  until  the  next  day  to  dry.  If  they  are 
withdrawn  too  late  from  over  the  fire,  after  having  squeezed 
out  the  water,  of  which  they  are  full,  by  pressing  them  in 
the  bag,  they  must  be  spread  on  the  hurdles  to  dry  then* 


192  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

While  they  are  yet  damp,  they  must  be  emptied  of  their 
chrysalides,  and  turned  inside  out,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of 
cowl.  If  one  has  not  then  the  leisure  for  this  purpose,  it 
will  repay  the  trouble  afterwards,  to  soak  them  some  time 
in  warm  water,  when  this  work  is  to  be  done. 

The  cocoons  emptied  of  their  chrysalides  and  turned  inside 
out,  in  the  form  of  a  cowl,  are  very  easy  to  spin.  They 
have  only  to  be  put  again  in  lukewarm  water,  inserted  one 
in  the  other,  as  thimbles  for  sewing  are  put,  and  then  wound 
on  a  small  distaff  to  the  number  of  ten  or  twelve.  The  art 
of  spinning  is  too  well  known  in  France,  and  we  have  too 
confused  ideas  to  persist  in  the  details.  All  that  we  can 
permit  ourselves  to  add,  is,  that  the  Chinese  are  very  skilful, 
and  that  to  see  their  distaffs,  spindles,  and  spinning-wheels, 
one  would  not  believe  that  so  fine,  so  clean,  and  regular  a 
thread  could  be  drawn  from  them.  To  speak,  in  general, 
the  Chinese  are  yet  in  the  first  ages  of  improvement  for  all 
their  instruments.  Their  skill  improves,  and  their  tools 
and  instruments  remain  the  same.  Let  us  yet  add  another 
word  on  the  silk  of  wild  worms.  That  of  the  worms  of  the 
oak  can  be  spun  with  a  spinning-wheel ;  and  when  the  silk 
of  the  worms  of  thefagara  and  ash  trees  is  wanted  to  be  of 
a  finer  thread,  the  floss  silk  is  taken  from  about  the  cocoons 
before  having  them  boiled  :  but  if  a  person  in  France  com- 
mences to  raise  the  wild  worms,  French  industry  will  soon 
discover  all  that  is  most  proper  to  obtain  an  excellent  profit 
from  their  labor. 

It  is  seen  with  what  intention  we  propose  to  make  expe- 
riments, in  imitation  of  the  Chinese,  upon  wild  silk  worms 
of  the  fagara,  ash  and  chestnut-oak.  These  experiments, 
which  only  require  care,  attention,  and  patience,  can  occupy, 
in  different  places,  the  sagacity  and  zeal  of  opulent  citizens, 
who  go  to  pass  the  fine  season  in  the  country.  It  is  so  de- 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.         .  193 

lightful  to  render  one's  self  useful,  and  to  contribute  to  the 
public  abundance,  that  we  do  not  doubt  that  many  will 
prefer  these  experiments  to  many  amusements  as  expen- 
sive as  frivolous,  which  occupy  the  leisure  of  the  rich  on 
their  farms.  The  public,  to  whom  they  will  render  the 
account  of  any  partial  successes,  will  compare  them,  improve 
them  one  by  the  other,  and  decide  upon  the  use  the  com- 
mon good  will  prescribe.  Who  knows  if  it  be  not  reserved 
to  some  one  of  these  experiments  to  enrich  France,  with 
some  new  kind  of  silk,  or  perhaps  even  to  simplify  the  man- 
ner of  raising  the  silk  worms  of  the  mulberry  tree  ?  For, 
at  last,  if  it  is  more  difficult  to  rear  them  on  trees  than  the 
wild  silk  worms,  it  is  not  impossible,  perhaps,  in  climates 
where  the  season  is  more  favorable  to  them.  Who  knows, 
even,  if  this  will  not  be  the  true  means  of  giving  to  our 
silks  a  degree  of  perfection  and  beauty,  which  the  con- 
straint the  worms  labor  under,  deprives  them  of  at  pre- 
sent. 


NOTICE  ON  THE  ASH  TREE  OF  CHINA, 
CALLED  HJANG-TCHUN. 

Here  are  distinguishable  two  kinds  of  ash  trees:  the 
tcheou-tchun,  the  stinking  ash  tree ;  and  the  kiang-tchun, 
the  fragrant  ash  tree.  The  first  has  always  appeared  to  us 
to  be  the  same  as  ours,  because  we  were  contented  with 
appearances,  and  put  ourselves  to  little  trouble  to  examine 
it  nearer.  What  we  have  written  on  wild  silk  worms  has 
made  us  fear  we  were  deceived:  we  have  examined  the 
blossoms  of  that  tree,  they  appear  different  to  us  from  those 
our  botanists  describe.  The  petals  are  five  in  number,  and 
25 


194  TREATISE  UPON  THE 

less  elongated,  and  the  stamens  are  in  greater  number,  and 
smaller,  and  the  pistil  and  receptacle  to  which  the  flow- 
ers are  attached  appear  different.  We  insist  upon  these 
trifles,  because  we  have  indicated  the  ash  tree  as  the  ordi- 
nary food  for  a  kind  of  wild  worms,  and  that  if  the  kind  of 
which  we  have  spoken,  was  very  different  from  ours,  the 
worms  would  not  be  willing  to  feed  on  them. 

The  fragrant  ash,  named  in  Chinese,  kiang-tchun,  is  very 
different  from  ours  in  many  respects.  In  as  much  as  the 
leaves  of  the  tcheou-tchun  have  a  disagreeable  odour,  those 
of  the  kiang-tchun  have  an  aromatic  and  agreeable  smell, 
for  those  who  love  strong  perfumes.  Botanists,  who  have 
joked  on  what  Pliny  says  of  that  tree,  ought  to  have  ob- 
served, that  what  is  true  of  one  kind  is  not  always  so  of 
another,  and  the  same  species,  in  its  individuals,  perhaps, 
may  be  very  unlike  in  different  countries.  The  climate, 
soil,  exposure,  year,  and  season,  have  warned  naturalists  for 
a  long  time,  that  one  fact  concludes  nothing  against  the 
other.  At  the  first  view,  the  fragrant  ash  appears  to  be 
exactly  like  ours ;  it  comes  in  the  same  places,  grows  to  the 
same  height,  the  branches  and  stem  are  the  same,  its  leaves 
are  ranged  in  the  same  way  by  pairs  upon  one  side.  But  in 
regarding  it  closely,  it  will  be  found  that  the  leaves  of 
the  fragrant  tree  are  of  a  brighter  green,  more  slender,  and 
are  not  terminated  by  a  single  leaf.  The  flowers  and  fruit 
are  entirely  different. 

1st.  The  cluster  of  flowers  is  more  like  that  of  the  grape, 
and  the  flowers  which  are  of  different  sizes,  do  not  bloom 
so  much  at  a  time,  and  last  longer. 

2d.  The  flower  is  composed  of  a  small  calix  of  five 
white  petals ;  of  four  stamens,  which  spring  from  a  reddish 
receptacle,  or  a  small' round  summit;  of  a  pistil,  that  comes 
out  of  the  embryo  fruit.  i 


WILD  SILK  WORMS.  195 

3d.  The  embryo,  that  serves  as  a  base  to  the  pistil,  be- 
comes a  fruit,  covered  with  a  woody  and  hard  bark,  that 
opens  in  five  follicles,  at  its  maturity.  Under  these  follicles, 
are  ranged,  upon  the  five  faces  of  the  pith,  which  is  in  the 
middle,  two  or  three  seed.  These  seed,  formed  like  the 
wing  of  a  fly,  arid  almost  as  slender  towards  the  point, 
enclose  at  their  base  a  seed,  of  a  figure  that  varies,  but 
composed  of  two  lobes  which  cover  the  germe. 

If  all  the  flowers  were  productive,  the  cluster  sustaining 
the  fruit  would  not  be  strong  enough ;  but  it  is  rare  for  a 
sixth  part  to  remain.  Notwithstanding  where  the  fruit 
begins  to  enlarge  and  lengthen,  they  would  be  taken  at  a 
distance  for  a  bunch  of  unripe  grapes. 

The  pith,  rounded  at  its  extremity,  and  presenting  five 
surfaces  to  which  the  seed  are  attached,  is  a  spongy  sub- 
stance like  the  pith  of  the  rush  ;  but  it  is  more  compact. 

The  Chinese  throw  into  boiling  water  the  first  buds  and 
tender  shoots  of  the  fragrant  ash  tree,  then  they  take  them 
out,  and  steep  them  in  vinegar,  to  eat  with  rice,  as  we 
do  pickles.  It  must  be  used  very  cautiously,  under  the  pen- 
alty of  being  covered  with  biles  in  case  of  impure  blood. 

Physicians  use  the  leaves,  blossoms,  and  second  skin  of 
the  bark  of  the  roots. 

As  the  fagara  is  ranged  in  the  class  of  ash  trees,  and 
from  the  descriptions  given  of  it,  it  is  probable  that  it  is  the 
hou-lsiao,  of  the  Chinese,  on  which  the  most  beautiful  wild 
silk  worms  are  fed,  we  will  merely  add  the  drawing  to  that 
of  the  stinking  and  fragrant  ash  trees,  without  any  other  de- 
scription, because  it  speaks  for  itself. 

The  treatise  on  trees  and  shrubs,  by  the  illustrious  M. 
Duhamel,  is  the  only  book  where  we  have  found  some 
details  upon  the  fagara  tree.  If  that  of  which  he  speaks 
is  the  same  as  that  of  China,  we  dare  predict  to  him  that  it 


196  TREATISE  UPON  THE  WILD  SILK  WORMS. 

will  resist  the  winters  of  France,  because  it  bears  the  win- 
ters of  Pe-tche-li,  which  are  much  longer  and  much  more 
rigorous.  The  Chinese  adopt  a  principle  in  botany  and 
agriculture  that  deserves  to  be  examined.  According  to 
them,  when  one  wishes  to  preserve  the  trees  and  plants  of 
strange  countries,  the  most  studied  care  is  necessary  for  the 
first  plants ;  but  when  one  has  gathered  seed  it  is  easy  to 
propagate  them,  above  all  after  the  second  generation.  If 
the  seed  of  the  second  or  third  generation  do  not  succeed, 
it  is  because  the  climate  is  not  favorable  to  those  trees  and 
plants  ;  they  can  never  there  naturalize  them.  Thefagara 
tree  succeeds  wonderfully  on  the  mountains  in  the  environs 
of  Peking.  Perhaps  our  winter  rains  are  injurious  to  them, 
and  it  would  be  advantageous  to  preserve  their  roots  from 
dampness,  by  planting  them  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  with  a 
southern  aspect,  and  by  surrounding  them  with  a  small  plat- 
form, such  as  is  made  for  grape  arbors  and  accacias  in 
many  places. 

" 


FINIS. 


*4  ,««,K,n-v:  J 
'KOt'    3lt  |T 
•i    .<'*{&$$&<] 


rli  ^  s«Tfi8  aril 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PLATES. 


PLATE  1.  Tsan-lien,  leaves  of  paper  on  which  the  female  butterflies  have 
laid  their  eggs.  Page  103. 

PLATE  2.  Tsan-wang,  nets  to  change  the  silk  worms.  It  is  commonly 
used  in  the  South,  for  silk  worms  of  all  ages.  In  the 
North  it  is  only  used  when  they  are  small.  See  page  136, 
line  18. 

PLATE  3.      Sang-long,  net-work  baskets,  to  transport  the  leaves.     They 

are  particularly  used  in  the  South. 

Ibid.     Figure  4.  Sang-kia,  instrument  for  cutting  the  leaves.      The 

two  pieces  in  the  form  of  the  letter  V,  ought  to  be  two  or 

three  feet  in  height.      The  left  hand  furnishes  the  leaves, 

and  they  must  be  cut  by  lowering  the  blade  with  the  right 

Sniu/i        hand.    This  instrument  is  only  used  in  the  North  of  China, 

'lo  -ui:         where  the  greatest  quantity  of  silk  worms  are  reared ;  this 

proceeding  is  very  expeditious. 

Another  kind  of  instrument  is  also  used,  called  thsie-tao. — It 
has  two  handles  like  tanners'  knives ;  it  ought  to  be  about 
two  feet  and  a  half  long.  Use  is  made  of  it  when  there 
is.  a  large  quantity  of  silk  worms. 

In  the  South,  when  the  silk  worms  are  small,  the  leaves  are 
cut  with  a  small  table  knife,  the  blade  of  which  is  thin  and 
well  sharpened  (a  dull  blade  would  cause  a  waste  of  sap 
from  the  leaves).  As  the  silk  worms  grow  larger,  stronger 
knives  are  used. 

*  The  original  Chinese  work  is  accompanied  with  forty  plates.  All  the  figures 
have  been  omitted  which  were  already  known,  and  only  those  preserved  that  pre- 
•ented  a  character  of  novelty. 


!98 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PLATES. 


PLATE  4.  Tsan-po,  frames  or  hurdles  for  removing  the  silk  worms,  or 
changing  their  litter.  It  is  generally  done  at  the  North, 
where  a  great  many  more  silk  worms  are  raised  that  at  the 
South.  The  facility  of  rolling  and  unrolling,  renders  them 
very  proper  for  their  destined  use. 

PLATE  5.     Ma-theou-tso,  oblong  cocoon  rooms.     See  the  text,  page  146. 
Ibid,     Figure  2.  Interior  hurdle  of  that  cocoon  room. 

PLATE  6.     Touan~tso,  round  cocoon  room.     See  the  text,  page  141. 

PLATE  7.  Chan-po,  cocoon  room  employed  in  the  districts  of  Kia  and 
Hou.  See  the  text.  Supplement,  page  168. 

PLATE  8.  Kien-ong,  jars  where  the  cocoons  are  preserved  under  layers 
of  leaves  and  salt.  See  the  text,  page  154. 

PLATE  9.  Kien-long,  apparatus  to  kill  the  chrysalides  by  means  of  the 
vapor  of  hot  water.  .^ 

There  are  some  persons,  who  put  two  ounces  of  salt  and 
one  ounce  of  rape  seed  oil  into  the  hot  water,  in  order  that 
the  silk  may  not  dry  and  that  it  may  be  easier  to  reel.  See 
the  text,  page  152. 

PLATE  10.  This  plate  makes  no  part  of  the  Chinese  work.  We  owe  its 
communication  to  the  kindness  of  M.  Huzard,  (of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences,)  who  possesses  a  large  number  of 
drawings  executed  in  China,  relative  to  the  raising  of  silk 
worms.  This  new  arrangement,  where  the  hurdles  are 
warmed  by  chafing-dishes,  confirms  the  observations  deve- 
loped in  the  article  chan-po,  of  the  Supplement.  (Page  168.) 
Their  method,  which  appears  to  present  great  advantages, 
differs  from  that  of  the  raisers  of  Europe,  who  lower  the 
temperature  of  the  silk  room  at  the  time  when  the  silk 
worms  spin  their  cocoons. 


eA. 


.Jbeso 


flcuU  2 


1'1,1/f    I 


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Plate  6 


Plate 


7. 


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